Yomiuri pitcher admits to gambling on games

TOKYO - Yomiuri Giants pitcher Kyosuke Takagi has admitted to betting on baseball games and said he lied during the team's latest investigation.

Takagi's admission is part of a gambling scandal that has rocked Japan's oldest professional baseball team and led to the resignation of three top executives, including former owner Tsuneo Watanabe.

Three other Giants players were found to have bet on baseball last autumn and received indefinite suspensions.

None of the four pitchers were found to have been involved in match-fixing or to have bet on games in which they were involved.

Nippon Professional Baseball Commissioner Katsuhiko Kumazaki on Wednesday demanded the Yomiuri Giants investigate their players.