Hanshin Tigers
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| Hanshin Tigers | |||
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| Established 1935 | |||
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| League affiliations | |||
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| Current uniform | |||
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| Retired Numbers | 10, 11, 23 | ||
| Colors | Yellow, Black, White |
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| Name | |||
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| Other nicknames | |||
| Ballpark | |||
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| League titles | |||
| Japan Series titles (1) | 1985 | ||
| CL Pennants (5) | 1962, 1964, 1985, 2003, 2005 | ||
| Japanese Baseball League titles (4) | Fall 1937, Spring 1938, 1944, 1947 | ||
| Owner(s): Hanshin Electric Railway Co. | |||
| Manager: Yutaka Wada | |||
| General Manager: Shoji Numasawa | |||
 2011 Hanshin Tigers season |
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| Type | Kabushiki gaisha |
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| Founded | Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan (December 10, 1935, Osaka Baseball Club Co.) |
| Headquarters | 2-33, Koshiencho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan |
| Parent | Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd. |
| References: renamed "Hanshin Tigers Co., Ltd." in 1961 | |
The Hanshin Tigers (阪神タイガース Hanshin Taigāsu) are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly. The team's circular logo is very similar to the classic Detroit Tigers logo, except that the tiger in the Major League version is orange whereas Hanshin's is yellow. The Tigers' cap logo is very similar to that of the New York Yankees and they often wear similar pinstriped uniforms.
Though they are the sister team of the American baseball team Detroit Tigers, they are frequently compared to the Boston Red Sox. The Tigers' rivalry with the Yomiuri Giants of Tokyo parallels the rivalry between the Red Sox and the New York Yankees. At one time both teams shared the title of "cursed"; leading to the Tigers' nickname of "Hard-Luck Hanshin." This idea is explored in Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan's 2004 book Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season where the Tigers are often portrayed as the Japanese Red Sox.
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[edit] History of the Hanshin Tigers
The Hanshin Tigers, one of the oldest professional clubs in Japan, were founded on December 10, 1935 with the team being formed in 1936. The team was first called "the Ōsaka Tigers". In 1940, amid anti-foreign sentiment, the Tigers changed the name to "Hanshin" and in 1947 changed the name back to "Ōsaka Tigers". The current team name was assumed in 1961.
The Tigers won four titles before the establishment of the two league system in 1950. Since the league was split into the Central League and the Pacific League, the Tigers have won the Central League pennant five times (1962, 1964, 1985, 2003, 2005) and the Japan Series once (1985).
When the 2004 Major League Baseball season opened in Japan, the Tigers played an exhibition game against the New York Yankees at the Tokyo Dome on March 29. The Tigers won 11–7.
In each of 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009, more than three million people attended games hosted by the Tigers. The Tigers were the only one of the 12 Nippon Professional Baseball teams to achieve this.
On January 31, 2007, the Tigers presented uniforms for the 2007 season. For the home uniforms, yellow, one of the colors of the team, was used again.
The home field, Hanshin Kōshien Stadium, is used by high school baseball teams from all over Japan for play in the national championship tournaments in spring and summer.
Famous players in Hanshin Tigers history include Randy Bass, Masayuki Kakefu, Minoru Murayama, Jeff Williams, and many others.
[edit] Koshien Stadium
The home field of the Tigers, Hanshin Koshien Stadium, is one of three major natural grass baseball stadiums in Japan. The others are the Mazda Stadium in Hiroshima (Hiroshima Toyo Carp), and Skymark Stadium in Kobe (part-time home of the newly-merged Orix Buffaloes). Of the three, only Koshien has a dirt infield. There are numerous smaller grass field ballparks around the country; Japanese baseball teams frequently play games in small cities so that local fans can see more of their heroes.
Koshien Stadium is the oldest ballpark in Japan; built in 1924, the stadium was once visited by American baseball legend Babe Ruth on a tour of Major League stars in 1934. There is a monument commemorating this visit at the front gates of the park.
Koshien is revered as a "sacred" ballpark, and players traditionally bow before entering and before leaving its hallowed field. The losing team in any high school baseball game played at the ballpark is allowed to scoop up handfuls of Koshien infield dirt, stuffing holy clay clods into tiny plastic bags as hordes of Japanese papparazzi snap photos at arm's length.
[edit] Curse of the Colonel
As with many other underachieving baseball teams, a curse is believed to lurk over the Tigers.[1] After their 1985 Japan Series win, fans celebrated by having people who looked like Tigers players jump into the Dotonbori Canal. According to legend, because none of the fans resembled first baseman Randy Bass, fans grabbed a life-sized statue of Kentucky Fried Chicken mascot Colonel Sanders and threw it into the river (like Bass, the Colonel had a beard and was not Japanese). After many series without a series win, the Tigers were said to be doomed never to win the season again until the Colonel was rescued from the river.
In 2003, when the Tigers returned to the Japan Series after 18 years with one of the worst records in the Central League, many KFC outlets in Kōbe and Ōsaka moved their Colonel Sanders statues inside until the series was over to protect them from Tigers fans.
The top half of the statue (excluding its left hand) was finally recovered on March 10, 2009, and the bottom half and right hand shortly after, in the canal by construction workers while constructing a new boardwalk area as part of a beautification project. The KFC outlet where this statue once stood has since closed.
[edit] Fandom
Tigers fans are known as perhaps the most fanatical and dedicated fans in all of Japanese professional baseball. They often outnumber the home team fans at Tigers "away" games. Tigers fans also have a reputation for rough behavior and a willingness to brawl with other fans or with each other, although long fights are rare. A famous Tigers fan tradition is the release, by the fans, of hundreds of air-filled balloons immediately following the seventh inning stretch and the singing of the Tigers' fight song. This tradition is carried-out at all home and away games, except at games against the Yomiuri Giants in the Tokyo Dome due to the Giants' notoriously authoritarian and heavy-handed rules for controlling behavior by visiting fans.
The Tigers-Giants rivalry is considered the national Japanese rivalry, on par with the New York Yankees vs. the Boston Red Sox in Major League Baseball or Real Madrid vs. FC Barcelona in Spanish football.
"The Hanshin Tigers' Song (阪神タイガースの歌 Hanshin Tigers no Uta)", as known as "Rokko Oroshi (六甲颪, 六甲おろし, lit. The (Downward) Wind of Mount Rokko)", lyrics by Sonosuke Sato (佐藤 惣之助) and composed by Yuji Koseki (古関 裕而), is a popular song in the Kansai area. In Japan, wind which blow down from mountain is known to be cold and harsh, hence the song symbolise Tiger's brave challenge under hardship. The song can even be found on karaoke boxes.
| 阪神タイガースの歌 (六甲颪, kanji)
六甲颪 (ろっこうおろし)に颯爽 (さっそう)と 闘志 (とうし)溌剌 (はつらつ) 起 (た)つや今 鉄腕強打幾千 (いくち)度 (た)び |
Hanshin Tigers no Uta (Rokko Oroshi, romaji)
Rokkō oroshi ni sassō to Tōshi hatsuratsu tatsu ya ima Tetsuwan kyōda ikuchitabi |
The Hanshin Tigers' Song (The Wind of Mount Rokko) (An official English version, not a direct translation) Dashing swiftly through the wind blowin' from Rokko Powerful hits and skillful pitch achieved a thousand times |
[edit] Season-by-season
From the Kosaido Publishing Co., Ltd. (株式会社廣済堂出版 Kabushikigaisha Kōsaidō Shuppan) guidebook.
| Season | Place | Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Former Japanese Baseball League | ||
| 1936 | Spring: Did not place Summer: Did not place Autumn: 2nd |
Shigeo Mori (森 茂雄, spring, summer) → Shuichi Ishimoto (石本 秀一, autumn) |
| 1937 | Spring: 2nd Autumn: 1st (League Champion) Annual League Champion |
Shuichi Ishimoto (石本 秀一) |
| 1938 | Spring: 1st (League Champion) Autumn: 2nd Annual League Champion |
Shuichi Ishimoto (石本 秀一) |
| 1939 | 2nd | Shuichi Ishimoto (石本 秀一) |
| 1940 | 2nd | Kenjiro Matsuki (松木 謙治郎) |
| 1941 | 5th | Kenjiro Matsuki (松木 謙治郎) |
| 1942 | 3rd | Tadashi Wakabayashi (若林 忠志) |
| 1943 | 3rd | Tadashi Wakabayashi (若林 忠志) |
| 1944 | 1st (League Champion) | Tadashi Wakabayashi (若林 忠志) |
| 1945 | No league play | |
| 1946 | 3rd | Fumio Fujimura (藤村 富美男) |
| 1947 | 1st (League Champion) | Tadashi Wakabayashi (若林 忠志) |
| 1948 | 3rd | Tadashi Wakabayashi (若林 忠志) |
| 1949 | 6th | Tadashi Wakabayashi (若林 忠志) |
| In the Central League | ||
| 1950 | 4th | Kenjiro Matsuki (松木 謙治郎) |
| 1951 | 3rd | Kenjiro Matsuki (松木 謙治郎) |
| 1952 | 2nd | Kenjiro Matsuki (松木 謙治郎) |
| 1953 | 2nd | Kenjiro Matsuki (松木 謙治郎) |
| 1954 | 3rd | Kenjiro Matsuki (松木 謙治郎) |
| 1955 | 3rd | Ichiro Kishi (岸 一郎) → Fumio Fujimura (藤村 富美男) |
| 1956 | 2nd | Fumio Fujimura (藤村 富美男) |
| 1957 | 2nd | Fumio Fujimura (藤村 富美男) |
| 1958 | 2nd | Yoshio Tanaka (田中 義雄) |
| 1959 | 2nd | Yoshio Tanaka (田中 義雄) |
| 1960 | 3rd | Masayasu Kaneda (金田 正泰) |
| 1961 | 4th | Masayasu Kaneda (金田 正泰) → Sadayoshi Fujimoto (藤本 定義) |
| 1962 | 1st (League Champion) | Sadayoshi Fujimoto (藤本 定義) |
| 1963 | 3rd | Sadayoshi Fujimoto (藤本 定義) |
| 1964 | 1st (League Champion) | Sadayoshi Fujimoto (藤本 定義) |
| 1965 | 3rd | Sadayoshi Fujimoto (藤本 定義) |
| 1966 | 3rd | Shigeru Sugishita (杉下 茂) → Sadayoshi Fujimoto (藤本 定義) |
| 1967 | 3rd | Sadayoshi Fujimoto (藤本 定義) |
| 1968 | 2nd | Sadayoshi Fujimoto (藤本 定義) |
| 1969 | 2nd | Tsuguo Goto (後藤 次男) |
| 1970 | 2nd | Minoru Murayama (村山 実) |
| 1971 | 5th | Minoru Murayama (村山 実) |
| 1972 | 2nd | Minoru Murayama (村山 実, - April 21) → Masayasu Kaneda (金田 正泰, April 22 -) |
| 1973 | 2nd | Masayasu Kaneda (金田 正泰) |
| 1974 | 4th | Masayasu Kaneda (金田 正泰) |
| 1975 | 3rd | Yoshio Yoshida (吉田 義男) |
| 1976 | 2nd | Yoshio Yoshida (吉田 義男) |
| 1977 | 4th | Yoshio Yoshida (吉田 義男) |
| 1978 | 6th (last place) | Tsuguo Goto (後藤 次男) |
| 1979 | 4th | Don Blasingame (Don Blazer) |
| 1980 | 5th | Don Blasingame (Don Blazer) → Futoshi Nakanishi (中西 太) |
| 1981 | 3rd | Futoshi Nakanishi (中西 太) |
| 1982 | 3rd | Motoo Andoh (安藤 統男) Takao Sato (佐藤 孝夫, June 13 - June 15) |
| 1983 | 4th | Motoo Andoh (安藤 統男) |
| 1984 | 4th | Motoo Andoh (安藤 統男) |
| 1985 | 1st (League Champion) Japan Series Champion |
Yoshio Yoshida (吉田 義男) |
| 1986 | 3rd | Yoshio Yoshida (吉田 義男) |
| 1987 | 6th (last place) | Yoshio Yoshida (吉田 義男) |
| 1988 | 6th (last place) | Minoru Murayama (村山 実) |
| 1989 | 5th | Minoru Murayama (村山 実) |
| 1990 | 6th (last place) | Katsuhiro Nakamura (中村 勝広) |
| 1991 | 6th (last place) | Katsuhiro Nakamura (中村 勝広) |
| 1992 | 2nd | Katsuhiro Nakamura (中村 勝広) |
| 1993 | 4th | Katsuhiro Nakamura (中村 勝広) |
| 1994 | 4th | Katsuhiro Nakamura (中村 勝広) |
| 1995 | 6th (last place) | Katsuhiro Nakamura (中村 勝広, - July 23) → Taira Fujita (藤田 平, July 24 -) |
| 1996 | 6th (last place) | Taira Fujita (藤田 平, - September 11) → Takeshi Shibata (柴田 猛, September 12 -) |
| 1997 | 5th | Yoshio Yoshida (吉田 義男) |
| 1998 | 6th (last place) | Yoshio Yoshida (吉田 義男) |
| 1999 | 6th (last place) | Katsuya Nomura (野村 克也) |
| 2000 | 6th (last place) | Katsuya Nomura (野村 克也) |
| 2001 | 6th (last place) | Katsuya Nomura (野村 克也) |
| 2002 | 4th | Senichi Hoshino (星野 仙一) |
| 2003 | 1st (League Champion) | Senichi Hoshino (星野 仙一) |
| 2004 | 4th | Akinobu Okada (岡田 彰布) |
| 2005 | 1st (League Champion) | Akinobu Okada (岡田 彰布) |
| 2006 | 2nd | Akinobu Okada (岡田 彰布) |
| 2007 | 3rd (Advanced to the Climax Series) | Akinobu Okada (岡田 彰布) |
| 2008 | 2nd (Advanced to the Climax Series) | Akinobu Okada (岡田 彰布) |
| 2009 | 4th | Akinobu Mayumi (真弓 明信) |
| 2010 | 2nd (Advanced to the Climax Series) | Akinobu Mayumi (真弓 明信) |
| 2011 | 4th | Akinobu Mayumi (真弓 明信) |
[edit] Players of note
[edit] Current players
[edit] Former players
Norihiro Akahoshi (赤星 憲広) - OF
George Altman - OF- Sohachi Aniya (安仁屋 宗八) - P
- George Arias - IF
- Scott Atchison - P
- Gene Bacque - P
- Randy Bass - IF
Mike Blowers - IF- Jamie Brown - P
- Darnell Coles - IF, OF
- Doug Creek - P
- Glenn Davis
- Rob Deer - OF
- Yutaka Enatsu (江夏 豊) - P
- Tom Evans - IF
- Cecil Fielder - IF
- Lew Ford - OF
- Atsushi Fujimoto (藤本 敦士) - IF
- Fumio Fujimura (藤村 富美男) - P, IF
- Taira Fujita - IF (藤田 平)
- Rich Gale - P
- Mike Greenwell - OF
Shosei Go (呉 昌征) - OF- Dave Hansen - IF
- Jason Hardtke - IF
- Phil Hiatt - IF
- Katsumi Hirosawa (広澤 克実) - IF, OF
- Trey Hodges - P
- Osamu Hoshino (星野 修, 星野 おさむ) - IF
- Nobuyuki Hoshino (星野 伸之) - P
- Makoto Imaoka (今岡 誠) - IF
- Kei Igawa (井川 慶) - P
- Atsunori Itoh (伊藤 敦規) - P
- Mark Johnson - IF, OF
- Masaru Kageura (景浦 將) - OF, IF, P
- Masayuki Kakefu (掛布 雅之) - IF
- Tsutomu Kameyama (亀山 努, 亀山 つとむ) - OF
- Atsushi Kataoka (片岡 篤史) - IF
- Kozo Kawato (川藤 幸三) - PH, OF
- Matt Keough - P
- Katsuhiko Kido (木戸 克彦) - C
- Mike Kinkade - IF
- Willie Kirkland - OF
- Masaaki Koyama (小山 正明) - P
- Kuo Lee Chien-Fu (郭李 建夫) - P
- Kojiro Machida (町田 公二郎) - OF
- Kenjiro Matsuki (松木 謙治郎) - IF
- Darrell May - P
- Akinobu Mayumi (真弓 明信) - IF, OF
- Susumu Mikoshiba (御子柴 進) - P
- Kurt Miller - P
- Toyozo Minamimure (南牟礼 豊蔵) - IF, OF
- Takao Misonoo (御園生 崇男) - P
- Trey Moore - P
Ramon Morel - P- Minoru Murayama (村山 実) - P
- Rodney Myers - P
- Yutaka Nakamura (中村 豊) - OF
- Kiyooki Nakanishi (中西 清起) - P
- Toshihiro Noguchi (野口 寿浩) - C
- Akinobu Okada (岡田 彰布) - IF
- Tom O'Malley - IF
- Curtis Olsen - P
Chris Oxspring - P- Eduardo Perez - IF
- Larry Parrish - IF
- Alonzo Powell - OF
- Mike Reinbach - OF
- Jerrod Riggan - P
- Bienvenido Rivera - OF
- Tsuyoshi Shinjo (新庄 剛志) - OF
- Shane Spencer - OF
- Kento Sugiyama (杉山 賢人) - P
- Koichi Tabuchi (田淵 幸一) - C
- Shuta Tanaka (田中 秀太, 秀太) - IF
- Tony Tarasco - OF
- Katsunori Tomari (渡真利 克則) - IF, OF, PH
- Shoji Toyama (遠山 奬志) - P
- Tomochika Tsuboi (坪井 智哉) - OF
- Marc Valdes - P
- Ryan Vogelsong - P
- Yutaka Wada (和田 豊) - IF
- Tadashi Wakabayashi (若林 忠志) - P
- Jeff Williams - P
- Craig Worthington - IF
- Marvell Wynne - OF
- Keiichi Yabu (藪 恵壹) - P
- Hiroshi Yagi (八木 裕) - IF, PH
- Kazuhiro Yamauchi (山内 一弘) - OF
- Akihiro Yano (矢野 輝弘, 矢野 耀大) - C
- Hiroshi Yoshida (吉田 浩) - OF
- Yoshio Yoshida (吉田 義男) - IF
- Toshiro Yufune (湯舟 敏郎) - P
[edit] Retired numbers
- 10 Fumio Fujimura (藤村 富実男)
- 11 Minoru Murayama (村山 実)
- 23 Yoshio Yoshida (吉田 義男)
[edit] MLB Players
Active:
- Kei Igawa (2007-)
Retired:
- Tsuyoshi Shinjo (2001-2003)
- Keiichi Yabu (2005-2008)
[edit] Media relating to the Tigers
- Newspapers
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- Daily Sports (デイリースポーツ, published by the Kobe Shimbun, except Hiroshima region)
- Nikkan Sports (日刊スポーツ, affiliated company of the Asahi Shimbun, Kansai region)
- Sankei Sports (サンケイスポーツ, published by the Sankei Shimbun Osaka Head Office)
- Sports Nippon (スポーツニッポン, affiliated company of the Mainichi Shimbun, Kansai region)
- Broadcasting stations
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- Mainichi Broadcasting System, Inc. (MBS, 毎日放送, Radio and TV)
- Asahi Broadcasting Corporation (ABC, 朝日放送, Radio and TV)
- Kansai Telecasting Corporation (関西テレビ, TV)
- Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation (読売テレビ, TV)
- Television Osaka, Inc. (テレビ大阪, TV)
- SUN-TV (サンテレビ, TV)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hanshin Tigers |
- (Japanese) Hanshin Tigers official web site
- Suicide Spurs Reflections on Japanese Baseball - The New York Times
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