Yusaku Iriki

Spent 2003 recovering from right knee injury (don't know if he had surgery), apparently.

We won't be seeing him pitch for a while, not to mention he already got released by the Mets. [Full MLB.com Story]

Somewhat shocking and surprising news to many, including myself, who believed that "Japanese don't do steroids." Iriki has apparently been suspended for 50 days following an MLB drug violation. [Full Yahoo! MLB Story]

As a Japanese baseball fan, I would like to believe that this is some sort of mistake, that he took something while he was recuperating from an injury that showed up in these results. Well, any explanation that does not start a story that steroids is also prevalant in Japan will satisfy me.

I'm also curious as to why he got a 50-day suspension, when most other first time offenders have been suspended for 10 days. Maybe he took something "more" illegal?

The (short) article goes on to mention that he was a candidate for a callup after rookie Bannister went down for an injury a couple days ago.

- I'm also curious as to why he got a 50-day suspension, when most other first time offenders have been suspended for 10 days. Maybe he took something "more" illegal?

The MLB implemented a new steroid punishment code at the beginning of this season. Now all first-time offenders are automatically banned for 50 days.

This was indeed a shock to me as well. I just hope that we don't see a witch hunt-type thing in Japan that we saw in the Majors.

I wouldn't say it was a witch hunt in the majors. There really were "witches." Things got out of hand.

Minor leaguers are not represented by the same union and penalties for testing positive have been much stiffer from the beginning. There were several 50 game suspensions last year.

- I'm also curious as to why he got a 50-day suspension, when most other first time offenders have been suspended for 10 days.

This seems to be standard now in the minors. Last week five other minor leaguers got busted, and four received 50-game suspensions. One of them (Angel Rocha of the Arizona Diamondbacks) got 100 games.

Source: MLB press release.

Shocking story on Iriki-san. I cannot imagine something he took for an injury a few years ago showing up now. It has to be a recent dosage.

I don't know if the 50 game suspension is unusual either. Hopefully, the facts will come out.

Saturday's NY Post, always good for the dirt, had a bit more info.

Iriki-san tested positive for traces of nandrolone. He had a clean test in April. He says he doesn't know where he got it. Though we've heard that before from others, including Palmiero, It's possible someone gave him some creme for soreness or he took some "heath store" medication. He doesn't seem to have the body type to be a 'roider, so who knows.

It's a tough break because there is a 2 start rotation slot on the Mets due to another player's injury. Iriki might have gotten a call up, though he wasn't pitching that great in AAA.