Atsuya Furuta

The players decided at a meeting that if their demand to suspend the merger between the Pacific League's Orix BlueWave and Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes is not met, they will refuse to play, said Yakult Swallows catcher Atsuya Furuta, who heads the association.

"If they decide to reduce the (number of) baseball teams, we will strike," Furuta said.

Central League President Hajime Toyokura threatened to file a lawsuit against the players if they strike.

"If the players strike, we are considering suing the players to seek compensation for damages," he said.

In a preliminary vote that raises the likelihood of the Orix-Kintetsu merger, representatives of the 12 professional baseball teams endorsed the deal Sept. 6.

The merger could lead to up to 100 players and team personnel losing their jobs, and it could spur more mergers -- discussions are rumored to be taking place between the Seibu Lions and the Chiba Lotte Marines -- possibly leading to the creation of a single 10-team league, and an end to the Central and Pacific leagues.

The players said that three conditions -- including a one-year freeze on the proposed merger -- must be met by Sept. 10. If not, they will refuse to play all weekend games for the rest of the month.

The Japan Times Weekly: Sept. 11, 2004
(C) All rights reserved