When Carlos Zambrano of the Chicago Cubs threw his first pitch to St. Louis Cardinals lead-off batter Miguel Cairo on Friday, it was official: Major League Baseball had survived the threat of a potentially crippling work stoppage.

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The start of the Cubs-Cardinals game, the first game scheduled for Friday, was the unofficial deadline for the Major League Baseball players union and baseball's owners to reach a deal on a labor contract.

But the players' strike threat was made moot when the two sides, after all-night negotiations, reached agreement Friday morning, averting the game's first work stoppage since 1994 and ninth since 1972.

Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and players union chief Donald Fehr attended a morning bargaining session that wrapped up the agreement. It was the first time in nine rounds of labor talks since 1972 that baseball avoided a work stoppage.

"All streaks come to an end, and this was one that was overdue to come to an end," Fehr said at a news conference with Selig.

Selig called the deal "historic."

"We can now turn our complete attention to the field," Selig said.

No agreement has been signed, but the sides announced the new pact at the news conference. Few details of the agreement were released, and the deal is subject to a final ratification process expected within one week.

As part of a settlement, owners were willing to agree not to contract teams through the 2006 season, a management official said on condition of anonymity. Owners attempted to eliminate the Montreal Expos and Minnesota Twins after last season but were stopped by Minnesota courts.

With the deal, owners gained their most significant concessions in 26 years from a union that became one of the most powerful in the nation.

The players' association has lifted the average salary of its members from just over $51,500 in 1976 to $2.38 million this season.

As part of the agreement, high-revenue teams will have to share a far larger percentage of their locally generated money, and a luxury tax will be levied on high-payroll teams to discourage spending.

The midmarket teams figure to be the biggest winners in the deal, receiving much more of the their competitors' money.

The biggest losers are the New York Yankees, which generate the most money in baseball. The Yankees and other high-revenue teams will have to pay tens of millions of dollars to subsidize their competitors, and they may have to raise ticket prices to cover the increased revenue sharing.

A sure sign of the settlement occurred just after 11:30 a.m. EDT, when Boston Red Sox players were seen loading onto a team bus, bags packed, on their way to a chartered flight that is to take them to Cleveland for tonight's game against the Indians.

With time to strike a deal running out Friday morning, fans around the nation awaited word on whether the season would grind to a sudden halt.

After numerous bargaining sessions overnight and into the morning, both sides compromised on key issues.

Background

As the hours dwindled, lawyers shuttled between the commissioner's office and union headquarters, crunching numbers and exchanging revised proposals.

Two lawyers from each side bargained until 2 a.m. before the sides broke for caucuses. Players gave owners a proposal during a 20-minute meeting that began at 4 a.m., and owners responded with a counteroffer about 6:30 a.m. The union returned with a response at 9:15 a.m.

Negotiators for the owners and players met five times Thursday but were still apart on the central issues of a luxury tax and revenue sharing.

Around 9:30 p.m. EDT Thursday, union chief Donald Fehr and his top aides went to the commissioner's office along with Atlanta's Tom Glavine and B.J. Surhoff. They met with commissioner Bud Selig for about 10 minutes before the larger session -- and then returned to the union office around 11 p.m. for the executive board's second conference call of the day.

Fans Are Angry

Baseball fans are reacting with anger over the possibility of a big-league strike.

In Los Angeles, John Moses said once fans find something else to fill their time, they may not come back after a strike. And John Ballister said when players start the season, they should be obligated to finish it. He said owners and players need to negotiate their differences in the off-season.

In Anaheim, Thursday night's Angels-Tampa Bay game was the last before this afternoon's deadline. And fans in the stands booed and chanted, "Don't strike, don't strike." Fans also tossed foul balls back onto the field, cheering loudly every time. They hurled debris on the field after the final out.

A strike would be especially frustrating for Angels fans. Their team hasn't been in the playoffs since 1986, but won last night and leads the American League wild-card race by a half-game over Seattle.

Some in the stands at Wednesday's Marlins-Mets baseball game in Miami said they showed up because they think it could be the last game they'll see for a very long time.

And at least one fan who attended the game said if the sport suffers its ninth work stoppage since 1972, he likely won't be back.

One Marlins' beer vendor is worried about a strike, pleading to the players not to walk out. As he puts it, "I need to eat."