Expos suspend Irabu

MONTREAL -- Montreal pitcher Hideki Irabu was suspended by the Expos for drinking himself into a stupor before a scheduled rehabilitation start, according to two news reports.

Irabu was supposed to pitch for the Triple-A Ottawa Lynx last Sunday, but he was so drunk that he had to be taken to a hospital, The Canadian Press cited the Montreal La Presse and Kyodo News Service, a Japanese news agency, as reporting.

The right-hander was suspended without pay Wednesday for violating the terms of his contract. Expos officials have been silent about the circumstances surrounding the suspension.