Former Pitcher Hideki Irabu Found Dead At 42

RANCHO PALOS VERDES (CBS) -- Former Pitcher Hideki Irabu has died at the age of 42 after an apparent suicide in his Rancho Palos Verdes home.

Irabu was found dead in the home at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office.

Irabu played baseball in the major leagues from 1997 to 2002 and won two World Series with the New York Yankees.

Prior to his debut in New York, Irabu pitched in his native Japan from 1988 to 1996, where he was known as the strikeout king of Japan.

In 2009, Irabu came out of retirement to pitch for the Long Beach Armada, an independent team in the Golden Baseball League.

No additional details regarding Irabu's death were released.