Irabu Wins Debut, Earns A Standing O Japanese Pitcher Strikes Out Nine Tigers In His Debut

Hideki Irabu learned one American baseball custom in a hurry.

After pitching into the seventh inning in an impressive major league debut Thursday night, Irabu left to a standing ovation at Yankee Stadium and bounced out of the dugout for a very American curtain call, waving his cap to acknowledge the cheers.

The crowd of 51,901 appreciated him and they should have. The Japanese Nolan Ryan looked unhittable at times, flashing a fastball in the mid-90s that frequently left the Detroit Tigers flailing away.

Irabu, who was the winning pitcher in the Yankees’ 10-3 victory, threw 98 pitches, 61 for strikes, allowed two runs on five hits and struck out nine, eight in the first four innings.

Later, speaking through an interpreter, he said the whole experience was more than he had dreamed about.

“Up on the mound in the first inning, all the ordeals of the last six months went through my mind like a flashback,” he said. “Then I thought I am part of a team. I have to do my best for the team.”

He said he depended on catcher Joe Girardi to guide him along since he was facing brand new hitters in an unfamiliar setting. “I followed his lead and his calls and I tried not to go overboard,” he said.

Manager Joe Torre thought Irabu had produced as advertised.

“You couldn’t help but be impressed with his poise and his stuff,” Torre said. “He wasn’t afraid to throw his splitter anytime and he showed a couple of different fastballs.”

There was one communications foulup with Girardi.

“It doesn’t matter what finger he put down,” Torre said. “Irabu has confidence that he can put any one of his pitches over for a strike. One time, Joe thought he was calling for a splitter. It was a changeup, a perfect one for a ground ball.”

The debut had to thrill owner George Steinbrenner, who pursued Irabu vigorously and signed him to a four-year, $12.8 million contract.

“I don’t know what to expect,” Steinbrenner said before the game.

Would he be embarrassed if Irabu turned out to be ordinary?

“I’ve been embarrassed so many times in New York, one more won’t hurt me,” he cracked. “You’ve got to stick your neck out sometimes. That’s what life’s all about.”

It was no problem. Irabu looked like the real deal.

He struck out the last two batters in each of the first two innings, getting all four hitters swinging. He struck out the side in the fourth, two on called third strikes, the last one swinging.

He was pitching in friendly territory.

In both the right field and left field upper decks, fans kept track of the strikeouts with “K” signs, written in Japanese script. Other fans waved a huge, multi-colored Japanese fan.

The stadium scoreboard welcomed four Japanese banks that had contingents of fans attending the game. At concession stands, vendors sold “Typhoon Irabu” T-shirts with $20 price tags.

Irabu was nicked for a run in the third inning, but the Yankees got that back and more, scoring four runs in the bottom half of the inning, three on a home run by Tino Martinez.

Torre let Irabu start the seventh so he could leave the game from the mound and hear the cheers.

“I did that so the fans could show their appreciation,” he said.