Ex-Yankee pitcher Hideki Irabu – once ridiculed by George Steinbrenner as a “fat, pus-y toad” – was arrested in Osaka, Japan, today for allegedly assaulting a bartender after drinking 20 mugs of beer, a police official said.
Irabu, 39, became angered after his credit card was rejected. He allegedly pushed the bartender against the wall, pulled his hair and smashed at least nine liquor bottles. The bartender sustained no injuries.
Irabu paid the bill with another card. The police official said Irabu admitted the assault.
Irabu spent six seasons with the Yankees, Expos and Rangers before signing with Japan’s Hanshin Tigers in 2003. He retired in 2005 and lives in California.