Yamaguchi said that in the meeting with Miyauchi following the Golden Week holidays, they discussed the merger of the two Pacific League teams, which would signal a restructuring of the six-team league.

"We decided to have a talk because we were struggling with our baseball finances. Of all the options, I went with the most realistic one," Yamaguchi said.

Kintetsu team president Tetsuya Kobayashi explained that the next step the two sides plan on taking will be to raise the issue at various baseball conferences, including the July 7 baseball owners meeting, and get the final nod from the parties involved.

Kintetsu has booked losses of ¥4 billion a year due to a drop in attendance at Osaka Dome, skyrocketing salaries for players and an annual ¥1 billion charge for the usage of Osaka Dome.

The Japan Times Weekly: June 19, 2004
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