The Pacific League on Thursday slapped harsh punishments on the Kintetsu Buffaloes in a suspicious case of sign stealing during Wednesday's game against the Seibu Lions. The PL suspended Kintetsu general manager Isami Okamoto for seven days and team scorer Eiji Yoda for 30 days from their jobs for violating a 1999 agreement between the commissioner and the managers of the PL clubs that was aimed at preventing sign stealing and any suspicious acts on and off the field.
The league also issued a severe warning to Kintetsu manager Masataka Nashida after holding a hearing earlier in the day, in which Kintetsu officials denied any wrongdoing in the game at Seibu Dome. "I told league officials that we didn't steal any signs and I believe that. But I also realize that we are not allowed to act like that and in that sense, I think this kind of heavy punishment is inevitable," Okamoto said. In Wednesday's game, chief umpire Osamu Tachibana gave Kintetsu a warning in the seventh inning after his crew of umpires observed Yoda signaling with his hands from behind the backstop of the stadium.
Kintetsu officials later claimed that the signals were exchanged between Yoda and a colleague in the stands, not between the team scorer and players or the manager or the coaching staff on the field or in the dugout.