Posted at 6:57 a.m., Friday, February 1, 2008
Baseball: Two Japan teams lay claim to Jeremy Powell
Associated Press
TOKYO — Two teams in Japanese professional baseball claimed they have reached an agreement with former major-league pitcher Jeremy Powell on a contract for the 2008 season.The Orix Buffaloes and the Softbank Hawks of the Pacific League both say the 31-year-old has signed a contract to play for them in the upcoming season.
"We have his (Powell's) signature and the Pacific League recognizes it," Katsuhiro Nakamura, a senior Orix official, said Friday.
Powell, who played for the Montreal Expos from 1998-2000, played for the Yomiuri Giants last season but was released after a knee injury limited him to seven starts with a 0-2 record in 2007.
Earlier Softbank stressed the legitimacy of its contract, claiming that the completion of the deal between Orix and Powell had yet to be announced officially by the league, leaving it ineffective.
Powell led the Pacific League with 17 wins for the Kintetsu Buffaloes in 2002 and has recorded double-digit wins in four of his seven seasons in Japan.
The Nikkansports newspaper reported Friday that Powell's agent said the document Powell signed with the Buffaloes was not an official contract but a document for use in his application for a work visa to enter Japan.
