Satoshi Iriki, the first Japanese pitcher in the history of Korean professional baseball, passed away in a car accident.

Japan’s Sankei Sports and Nikkan Sports said, “The Yakult Swallows announced on the 11th that Iriki died in a traffic accident in Miyakonojo, Miyazaki Prefecture, around 10:00 pm on the 10th.” He is 55 years old.

Debuting with the Kintetsu Buffaloes (now the Orix Buffaloes) in 1990, Iriki played for the Hiroshima Carp, Yomiuri Giants, and Yakult. When he was playing for Yomiuri (1999-2000), he played alongside his younger brother, Yusaku Iriki, and made his name known as the first sibling player in the club’s history.

Iriki signed a contract with the 카지노사이트Doosan Bears in 2003 and entered the Korean stage, earning the title of the first Japanese player since the KBO League introduced the foreigner system in 1998. Iriki recorded 39 games, 7 wins, 11 losses, 5 saves, and an average ERA of 3.74 in Doosan, and recorded 5 complete games, the most in the league. However, he failed to renew his contract with Doosan and retired in 2004 after spending one season with the Taiwan Professional Baseball Laneu Bears (currently Rakuten Monkeys).

According to Japanese media, the deceased was recently known to have been working as a caregiver (a person who helps care for the elderly in a nursing home).