The Pacific League has come up with a set of compromise proposals to reduce the number of interleague games and hold postseason playoffs involving teams from both the Central and Pacific leagues starting next year.
The Pacific League board of directors agreed Friday to adopt the proposals, which also include accepting a Central League plan to give the league championship to the first-place finisher in the regular season rather than the playoff winner.
The move came after both leagues were at odds over the system of the playoffs to be introduced to the Central League next year and over possible subsequent changes to the regular-season schedule. The Pacific League had earlier showed disapproval at a plan to give the league title to the regular-season winner and make the playoffs a competition to determine the team to play in the Japan Series against the Pacific League champion.
The Central League also intends to maintain the current 146-game regular season format, while the latest Pacific League proposal calls for 140 games to be played. The Central League wants to cut interleague play to 24 or 18 games from the current 36, compared with 30 being demanded by Pacific League officials.