Former Yakult Baseball Player Satoshi Iriki Died in a Traffic Accident!

Satoshi Iriki, a former professional baseball player who played for the Kintetsu Buffaloes and Yakult Swallows, died in a traffic accident on the night of February 10 at the age of 55. At an intersection without a traffic light in Miyakonojo City, Miyazaki Prefecture, a minicar driven by Iriki collided with a standard-sized passenger car. Iriki was taken to the hospital, but was pronounced dead two hours later.

Iriki and his younger brother Yusaku Iriki (50), now pitching coach for the Orix Buffaloes, were loved by fans as the Iriki Brothers. In the off-season of 1998, he moved to the Giants and became the pitcher of the same team with his brother Yusaku, who was with the Giants at the time, which attracted a lot of attention.

However, he won only two games in two years with the Giants, and in 2000, his second year with the Giants, he was “sent away” without an opportunity to pitch for the first team. However, he made his big breakthrough in his 12th year as a professional with Yakult, where he joined on a trial basis. He won nine games in the first half of the season and was selected as an All-Star. His younger brother, Yusaku, won eight games, and the two brothers were competing for the most wins.

It was right in the middle of this period that this magazine published an article (August 10, 2001 issue) about Mr. Iriki living together with a 22-year-old former idol.

At the time, Iriki was living in a 80,000 yen 2DK in Saitama City and commuting to Jingu Stadium by train.

In January of that year, Mr. Iriki divorced his ex-wife and promised to pay her 90 million yen in alimony and child support for their child. However, Iriki’s annual salary at the time was an estimated 12 million yen. Since it was not an amount that he could afford, his own mother sold the land and used it to pay the alimony. Because of this, Iriki’s life was so modest that it is hard to believe that he was a professional baseball player who was aiming for the most wins.

At the time, his life was supported by a 22-year-old former idol. The two were living together in a co-op, and this magazine witnessed them riding bicycles together on several occasions, going shopping at a supermarket and heading to the train station.

That year, Iriki helped Yakult win the Japanese championship with 10 wins. Although his salary rose, his ex-wife seized most of his assets in February of the following year, leaving him with only 210,000 yen per month, the minimum amount required to live on. At the time, Mr. Iriki told this magazine, “There is nothing I can do but to be depressed.”

“I’m going to try to stay positive with my girlfriend,” he said with a laugh.

In response to the magazine’s scoop on his cohabitation, Mr. Iriki said, “It’s nothing to hide.”

“I don’t have anything to hide, so I don’t mind Friday’s article at all,” he said, showing his modesty.

(March 22, 2002 issue). However, his success did not last long. After that, he moved to South Korea and Taiwan, but his results were not as good as he would have liked, and he retired in 2004. His total record in Japanese professional baseball is 35 wins, 30 losses, and 2 saves in 214 games. Although his record was not spectacular, his pitching style, in which he attacked the inside corner of the plate with a fighting spirit despite his small size, was known as the “Kenka pitching method,” and he will remain in the memories of many fans.

After retiring, he repeatedly changed jobs and led a rough life, but in 2006 he married a woman who was a classmate of his in high school, had three children, and was leading a fulfilling life as a caregiver. His death is too sad for his family. We pray for his soul rest in peace.