Major League Baseball

Irabu's death reported as suicide

Published Jul. 29, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

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Los Angeles County coroner's officials say former New York Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu died by hanging himself.

Assistant Coroner Chief Ed Winter told The Associated Press in an email Friday that the 42-year-old Irabu's cause of death was hanging, and the mode was suicide. He says Irabu did not leave a note.

Winter says a friend found Irabu dead in his home in the wealthy Los Angeles suburb of Rancho Palos Verdes on Wednesday afternoon.

Winter says an autopsy was performed Friday, but it will take six to eight weeks for the results of toxicology tests, which could shed further light on the circumstances of Irabu's death.

The hard-throwing right-hander arrived in New York amid a wave of international hype in 1997, but faltered after an impressive debut.

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