By Wayne Graczyk
June 28, 2004

TOKYO--The entire institution of Japanese pro baseball has been thrown into chaos with the announcement that two Pacific League teams--Osaka's Kintetsu Buffaloes and the Orix BlueWave--intend to merge as soon as possible.

Buffaloes owner Wa Tashiro said his team is $40 million in debt, and he has been unable to find a buyer. With no other options, BlueWave chairman Yoshihiko Miyauchi agreed to work toward the merger of the two clubs.

Orix plays at Yahoo BB! Stadium in Kobe, not far from Osaka, and initial indications are the merged team would be called the Orix Buffaloes and play home games in 2005 at both the Osaka Dome and in Kobe.

If the merger is approved, it could mean big changes to Japanese baseball. A merger would leave the Pacific League with five teams and create huge headaches for schedule makers. Because of that, the news has led to speculation that both teams might fold, or that two other Pacific League teams could end up merging.

If that happened, it would open the door for a complete restructuring of Japanese baseball into a single 10-team league, presumably with two five-team divisions. Such a format would be the first for Japan since 1949.

Representatives from all 12 Japanese pro teams, Pacific and Central League officials and Commissioner Yasuchika Negoro are scheduled meet in Tokyo on July 7 to discuss the potential merger and its ramifications.

It's unlikely that any final decisions will be made at the meeting, as initial comments by representatives of the 12 teams indicate a lack of consensus. Some have said they are in favor of the merger; others are against it. Approval of the merger would require the approval of nine teams. There is also no consensus about how a single league would be aligned, if officials go in that direction.

Hundreds of questions still need to be answered, including how Kintetsu players will be dispersed, what a new league and divisions would be called, the role of the Japan Pro Baseball Players Union, and most urgently, what can be accomplished before the 2005 season.

Japanese sports newspapers carry updates daily with comments on the situation from team and league officials, managers, coaches, players and fans. Everyone connected with pro baseball in Japan remains on edge, awaiting the meeting and anxious about the cloudy future of the game in Japan.

Wayne Graczyk covers Japanese baseball for the Tokyo Weekender.