Nakakomi claimed he was ignorant of the restriction on his exiting the country. He said the planned trip to Japan was for work. The franchise had previously expelled Nakakomi after he admitted that he had met Chuang You-lin, who served as intermediary in the game-fixing scandal. Nakakomi was named a defendant for his connection with Chuang.

Moreover, Elephants catcher Wang Chun-tai (汪峻泰) was released last night on NT$80,000 bail. He had confessed to taking part in the scam and had handed in the money he gained in game fixing. Furthermore, Chao Sho-Buo (趙守博), president of Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL), urged the judicial authorities to speed up the investigation.

Once the investigation comes to an end, the league will have further meetings with general managers of the four teams, and the meetings will decide whether or not to disband the league, said Chao. Chao appealed to high-ranking government officials to keep their words and to help build a clean environment for baseball. Chao reaffirmed that he would try his best to continue the development of Taiwan's pro baseball.

The league decided yesterday to postpone the year-end award ceremony to December in the wake of the recent scandals. The CPBL will later announce the exact date. The league holds a ceremony every year to commend the players with outstanding performances.

Some 400 fans that have registered for the ceremony originally slated for Nov. 6 will have priority over ticket reservations. The CPBL will send e-mails for ticket confirmation. Fans who want to return the tickets can call at (02) 2577-6992, ext. 129, 130 or 138.