Nippon Professional Baseball commissioner Ryozo Kato said Wednesday he had not been informed of changes made to this year's ball to make it more lively.
Kato said the decision was made last year by NPB secretary general Kunio Shimoda, and that Shimoda had done nothing wrong in either ordering changes to the ball or not informing him of the decision.
"What he did was to make sure the ball met agreed-on specifications," Kato told a press conference at NPB's headquarters in Tokyo. "It did not go beyond the parameters set by the Baseball Charter (NPB's governing document). Therefore, there was no need for me to be informed. I want to strengthen communication and management practices within the organization."