The Merger Crisis - Kintetsu's Financial Collapse
On June 13, 2004, reports emerged of a planned merger between the Kintetsu Buffaloes and Orix BlueWave. Kintetsu was hemorrhaging over 4 billion yen annually, and parent company Kintetsu Railway sought to exit baseball. Orix owner Yoshihiko Miyauchi proposed the merger, with negotiations proceeding behind closed doors. The revelation sent shockwaves through the baseball world. Yomiuri owner Tsuneo Watanabe publicly endorsed a one-league, 10-team structure, and with the Daiei Hawks also facing financial difficulties, the dissolution of multiple Pacific League teams became a real possibility. When Livedoor CEO Takafumi Horie offered to purchase Kintetsu, NPB essentially refused to engage, exposing the league's closed-door mentality.
Atsuya Furuta and the Players' Union Fight
Yakult Swallows catcher Atsuya Furuta, serving as players' union president, championed the preservation of 12 teams. Seven rounds of labor negotiations from July through September proved fruitless as owners treated the merger as a foregone conclusion. Furuta repeatedly declared that players were not pawns and that 12 teams must be preserved for the fans. The union prepared for a strike as a last resort. Fans rallied as well, with a petition for 12 teams surpassing one million signatures in record time. Watanabe's dismissive remark about players being 'mere employees' fueled public outrage, transforming the crisis from a sports issue into a national debate.
NPB's First-Ever Strike
On September 18-19, NPB's first-ever player strike was executed. All players across 12 teams refused to play, canceling 12 games and causing an estimated 3 billion yen in losses. At a press conference, a tearful Furuta apologized to fans while insisting the strike was necessary for baseball's future. Public opinion overwhelmingly supported the players, with surveys showing over 70% backing the strike. The shock forced owners to act, and an emergency owners' meeting on September 23 agreed to open the door to new team entries. Two days of strike action shattered over 60 years of the league's closed-door culture.
Rakuten's Entry and the Dawn of Reform
On November 2, the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles were officially approved as NPB's newest franchise. Owner Hiroshi Mikitani chose Sendai as the home base, creating the Tohoku region's first professional baseball team. The Kintetsu-Orix merger proceeded as planned, forming the Orix Buffaloes and ending the Kintetsu Buffaloes' 55-year history. The crisis catalyzed sweeping reforms including the 2005 introduction of interleague play, draft system changes, and expanded postseason formats. SoftBank's acquisition of the Daiei Hawks also materialized, ushering in an era of IT companies entering team ownership. The 2004 crisis ultimately became the turning point that modernized NPB.