Japanese baseball players and team representatives averted the first strike in the history of the sport in Japan on Friday by reaching a last-minute agreement that will allow teams to continue playing through the weekend.
![News photo](/images/photos2004/sb20040911a1a.jpg)
The players had said three conditions, including a one-year freeze on the merger of the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes and the Orix BlueWave, would have to be met by 5 p.m. Friday to avoid a strike.