Mets to sign Japanese pitcher

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Yusaku Iriki (Don't Lose that Number), former Nippon Ham Fighter, who has his own website and raggae theme song!

http://www.yusaku-iriki.com/

] AMAZIN'S SIGN JAPANESE RIGHTY By MARK HALE The Mets have agreed in principle to a deal with pitcher Yusaku Iriki, according to a source familiar with the situation. Iriki, a 32-year-old righty who spent last year with the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan, will get a one-year deal which also includes a team option, the source said. The deal, which is pending a physical today, is worth slightly less than $1 million and also includes approximately $500,000 in potential incentives, according to the source. Iriki is likely to be used as an arm that can start a game or come out of the bullpen, which would provide insurance in both areas for the Mets.

[MFS62]

Are those Bruce Wilpon's footprints we see leaving the scene of this accident?

Later

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Reading up on him: Posted in November but not claimed by any clubs, then released by the Ham Fighters.

RHP, 33 years old, former top pickl of the Yomiuri Giants.

Last year in Hokkaido: 6-7, 3.35, 122 K in 150 IP. Has started and relieved.

His ERA was good for 9th in the Pacific League, and he played in front of a poor team on turf.

One website sez:

]Not really sure how the journeyman righthander is going to help the Metroplitans. His 2005 left/right splits weren't good at .287/.235 with a below average WHIP of 1.41. If you project that to MLB, you are looking at better than .310/.260 or so. Not exactly a shutdown type hurler.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I'm glad we finally have nough players and enough data flying back and forth from the US to Japan in order to create an exchange rate. I'd like to see how reliable it is, though.

[Guest 86-Dreamer]

Can he bring the funk?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Funny that you're Heath Bell, because Heath's spot looks like the one Iriki is going to take.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

86-Dreamer wrote: Can he bring the funk?

Or at least the noise?

[Frayed Knot]

And, if nothing else, we'll at least have someone who can help us in the event of an attack from hostile pork chops.

[Guest Edgy DC]

That looks like a western motion, with the Seaver leg drive. Dropping his forearm arm slack like that before muscling up actually puts me more in mind of David Cone.





Things you find when looking for pictures fo David Cone:

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

He has a raggae theme song.
A. Raggae. Theme Song.

sing along:
I-rik-i
I-ri-ki! I-rik-i! I-rik-i!

mayay mayay hola molto mayay!

He looks short.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Best Japanese toasting in Mets history.

Does he get to wear " I R I K I " on the back of his uniform.

[MFS62]

Edgy DC wrote: Does he get to wear " I R I K I " on the back of his uniform.

Didn't Rickey Henderson want to wear that?

Later

[Guest Edgy DC]

Here's how The Yomiuri Shimbun had it.

Offers in hand, Iriki off to America

Saying he has already received some offers from major league clubs, right-hander Yusaku Iriki left for the United States on Tuesday.

"I can't reveal the names of the teams yet, but I have heard that I have received some good offers," the 33-year-old said at Narita Airport. "I am going to America to meet with my agent and pursue negotiations."

The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters made Iriki's negotiating rights available to major league teams through the posting system in December, but he drew no offers and was given his release by the Fighters.

Iriki, had a 6-7 record with a 3.35 ERA in 150-2/3 innings in 2005, and he has a 35-35 record in a career spent mostly with the Yomiuri Giants. The Giants traded him in 2003 soon after he demanded to be posted to the majors.

According to reports I've read for a while at JapaneseBaseball.com, the Mets are also trying to get a jump on the next wave, scouting Japanese amateurs. The majors have really been shy about signing these prospects and undercutting the Japan Leagues' talent base, while having no such compunctions regarding Korean and Taiwanese amateurs. But this goes back a while and the still haven't pulled the trigger with any Japanese schoollboys.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Translating the metric measurements at his site, I get him at a hair over 5'9 and 159 pounds.

Me, in other words.

[Theoldmole]

Is it the Fighters, sponsored by Nippon Ham, or the Ham Fighters, playing out of Nippon? I prefer to believe the latter. In any case, it's my favorite team name of all time.

[Guest Edgy DC]

It's the former, but I think most of us prefer the latter.

[Willets Point]

All Japanese baseball teams play in Nippon.

[Guest sharpie]

All Japanese teams fight ham.

[seawolf17]

Therefore, all Japanese baseball teams fight ham.

And apparently, all Japanese Ham Fighting baseball mascots feel up cheerleaders.

[seawolf17]

What an unimpressive logo.

[Willets Point]

Do they fight ham or do they fight on behalf of ham?

[seawolf17]

I would say "fight ham." Otherwise, they'd be the Ham Defenders.

[Elster88]

Wow that mascot really is squeezing her breast, isn't he? Filthy little beast.

[Elster88]

seawolf17 wrote: I would say "fight ham." Otherwise, they'd be the Ham Defenders.

I always thought they were made of Ham and were fighting. Hence, Ham Fighters.

Like a street fighter doesn't fight a street. He fights in a street.

_______________________
This post had the designation 80) Doug Sisk

[nymr83]

seawolf17 wrote: What an unimpressive logo.

agreed, i'd have used a cartoon of a zero where the baseball is.

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

What's the ham's winning percentage?

[Farmer Ted]

That cheerleader has cankles.

[Guest martin]

i thought they were sponsored by a company that sells ham, "nippon ham". isnt that what it is? sll those teams are named after companies, yomiuri i think is a newspaper company, seibu is maybe a railroad company. i think that is how it works.

edit: i am a dumb son of a bitch who hadnt read the thread where my question was answered. i will return to my "read more post less" strategy now.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I always thought it would be cool, if Virginia ever got a big league team, if they were called the Virginia Ham Fighters.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Everybody is carrying this signing, except mets.com.

I imagine they have a roster move to make.