KOCHI (Kyodo) Hideki Irabu pitched seven innings of three-run ball in his independent league debut with the Kochi Fighting Dogs in a game against the Ehime Mandarin Pirates on Sunday.
The former New York Yankees hurler allowed seven hits, walked five and struck out three in a 117-pitch outing and left the mound with a 4-3 lead before Ehime tied the game in the eighth. The contest ended in a 4-4 draw.
"It's good that I threw more than 100 pitches and kept the team in the game through seven innings. I used off-speed pitches effectively. I am part of the rotation, so I want to continue to set the pace of games," said Irabu, who recently said he is aiming for a return to the Japanese top pro leagues.