Hideki Irabu, former New York Yankees pitcher found dead in California home

Reports say that former New York Yankees pitcher, Hideki Irabu, was found dead at his California home on Wednesday.

It is believed that Irabu, who is originally from Japan, committed suicide.

Forty-two year old Irabu was found hanging in his Los Angeles home.

Irabu, who played baseball in Japan before coming to the U.S., was signed to the Padres in 1997 and that same year, he was traded to the New York Yankee.  He pitched three years for the Yankees before he was traded to the Expos.

In 2002, Irabu retired from baseball.

Irabu has had a troubled life since retiring from the MLB.  In 2008, he was arrested for assaulting a bar manger in Japan after having 20 glasses of beer, and in 2010, he was arrested for drunk driving.