TOKYO (AP) -- The Pacific League ruled Monday that former Major League pitcher Jeremy Powell can play for the Softbank Hawks this season but will be suspended for three months for causing a dispute between two teams in Japanese professional baseball.

Both the Orix Buffaloes and the Softbank Hawks claimed the 31-year-old pitcher signed a contract with them for the upcoming season.

Powell, however, said he signed a fax that was sent to him by the Buffaloes, but believed that document was not an official contract and was only to be used in connection to his visa application to work in Japan.

He later signed an official contract with Softbank.

"We reached this decision based on discussions with Powell and other factors," Pacific League chairman Tadao Koike said Monday. "The two clubs remained divided so I had to break the impasse."

Powell will not be put on the Hawks' active roster until June 22. The Pacific League regular season begins March 20.

The Buffaloes still insist they have a contract with Powell.

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.

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.

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