People flock to extras announcing the baseball strike

The players had threatened to strike unless a one-year freeze was placed on the merger of the Pacific League's Kintetsu Buffaloes and Orix BlueWave.

The strike wiped out all games Sept. 18 and 19, and possibly all weekend games through the end of the season. Weekday games will be played as scheduled.

On Sept. 16, team officials told the baseball players' association that a freeze on the merger was impossible.

"We asked for a one-year freeze," said Yakult Swallows catcher Atsuya Furuta, head of the association. "We were told that was impossible and I want to apologize to all the fans who were planning on going to watch the games."

Another main issue was the admission of new teams.

Two Internet service companies have applied to set up new teams. Rakuten Inc., the nation's largest Internet shopping mall operator, wants to set up a team in Kobe and Internet portal site operator Livedoor Co., which unsuccessfully sought to buy the Buffaloes, wants to base a team in Sendai. The players wanted any new teams to join the pro leagues next season while the owners maintained that 2006 would be the earliest a new team could enter professional baseball.

The Japan Times Weekly: Sept. 25, 2004
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