Hanshin Tigers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hanshin Tigers |
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| 阪神タイガース | |||||
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| Information | |||||
| League | Nippon Professional Baseball
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| Location | HQ in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo, Japan | ||||
| Ballpark | Hanshin Koshien Stadium (1936–present) Kyocera Dome Osaka (interim) |
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| Year founded | December 10, 1935 | ||||
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| CL pennants | 6 (1962, 1964, 1985, 2003, 2005, 2023) | ||||
| Japan Series championships | 2 (1985, 2023) | ||||
| JBL championships | 4 (1937 Fall, 1938 Spring, 1944, 1947) | ||||
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| Colors | Yellow, Black, White |
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| Mascot | To-Lucky, Lucky, and Kita | ||||
| Playoff berths | 12 (2007, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) | ||||
| Retired numbers |
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| Ownership | Takaoki Fujiwara | ||||
| Management | Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd. | ||||
| Manager | Kyuji Fujikawa | ||||
| Uniforms | |||||
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The Hanshin Tigers (阪神タイガース, Hanshin Taigāsu) are a famous professional baseball team in Japan. They play in the Central League, which is part of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is based in Nishinomiya, a city in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Their main stadium, Hanshin Koshien Stadium, is right next door.
The Hanshin Tigers are one of the oldest baseball clubs in Japan. They started playing in 1936 as the Osaka Tigers. In 1961, they changed their name to the Hanshin Tigers, which is what they are called today. The team is owned by Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd.
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Team History and Wins
The Hanshin Tigers were formed on December 10, 1935. They are the second-oldest professional baseball club in Japan. When they first started playing in 1936, they were known as the Osaka Tigers.
During World War II, in 1940, the team changed its name to Hanshin because English nicknames were not allowed. After the war, in 1947, they went back to being the Osaka Tigers. Finally, in 1961, they became the Hanshin Tigers. This was because their home stadium is in Nishinomiya, not Osaka city itself.
Before 1950, when the league split into two, the Tigers won four championships. Since then, they have won the Central League championship six times. These wins happened in 1962, 1964, 1985, 2003, 2005, and most recently in 2023. They have also won the Japan Series, the biggest championship, twice: in 1985 and 2023.
The Hanshin Tigers are very popular. In several years, like 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009, over three million fans came to their home games. They were the only team in Japanese professional baseball to achieve this. In 2011, their average home game attendance was more than 40,000 people.
The Tigers have played exhibition games against famous American teams. In 2004, they beat the New York Yankees 11–7 in Tokyo. In 2025, they played against the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs, winning both games without giving up any runs.
Hanshin Koshien Stadium
Hanshin Koshien Stadium is the home field for the Hanshin Tigers. It is one of only three major baseball stadiums in Japan that has natural grass. What makes Koshien special is that it has an all-dirt infield, unlike many other stadiums that have grass in the infield.
Koshien Stadium is the oldest ballpark in Japan. It was built in 1924. Even the famous American baseball player Babe Ruth visited the stadium in 1934. There's a special monument at the stadium to remember his visit.
Koshien is considered a "sacred" place for baseball. Players often bow before they enter and leave the field. The stadium also hosts the annual national high school baseball tournaments in spring and summer. During the summer tournament, the Tigers have to play their home games at Kyocera Dome Osaka. Fans sometimes call this period "The Road of Death" because the team plays many away games.
A unique tradition at Koshien is that losing high school teams are allowed to scoop up handfuls of the infield dirt. They put this "holy soil" into their bags as a keepsake.
The Curse of the Colonel
Like some other sports teams, the Hanshin Tigers were once believed to be under a "curse." This curse was called the "Curse of the Colonel."
It all started in 1985 when the Tigers won the Central League championship. Fans celebrated by having people who looked like the players jump into the Dōtonbori Canal. However, no one looked like their American first baseman, Randy Bass. So, fans grabbed a life-sized statue of KFC's mascot, Colonel Sanders, and threw it into the river. The Colonel had a beard, just like Randy Bass.
After this, the Tigers won the 1985 Japan Series. But for many years after, they didn't win another championship. People believed the team wouldn't win again until the Colonel's statue was found.
In 2003, when the Tigers made it to the Japan Series again, many KFC restaurants in the area moved their Colonel Sanders statues inside. They wanted to protect them from excited fans!
The top part of the Colonel Sanders statue was finally found on March 10, 2009, by construction workers. The bottom half and one hand were found shortly after. The statue is still missing its left hand and glasses.
Even after parts of the statue were found, the Tigers lost the 2014 Japan Series. But the curse was finally broken in 2023! The Hanshin Tigers defeated their rivals, the Orix Buffaloes, in the 2023 Japan Series, winning four games to three.
Hanshin Tigers Fandom
Hanshin Tigers fans are known for being incredibly passionate and loyal. They often travel to away games and sometimes even outnumber the home team's fans! In the past, Tigers fans had a reputation for being a bit rowdy, but fights are very rare now.
A famous tradition for Tigers fans is releasing hundreds of air-filled balloons. This happens after the seventh inning stretch and after the team's fight song is sung. This tradition takes place at almost all games, both home and away.
The rivalry between the Hanshin Tigers and the Yomiuri Giants is considered the biggest in Japanese baseball. It's like the famous rivalries in American baseball, such as the Dodgers-Giants or Yankees-Red Sox. The Giants have won more games overall, but the Tigers have had many close matches.
The Fight Song
The official fight song of the Hanshin Tigers is called "The Hanshin Tigers' Song (阪神タイガースの歌, Hanshin Tigers no Uta)". It's also known as "Rokko Oroshi (六甲颪, 六甲おろし, lit. The (Downward) Wind of Mount Rokko)". This song is very popular in the Kansai area of Japan. The song talks about the strong, cold wind coming down from Mount Rokko, which symbolizes the Tigers' brave spirit even when things are tough. You can even find the song in karaoke boxes!
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
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鉄腕強打 |
Rokkō oroshi ni sassō to Tōshi hatsuratsu tatsu ya ima Tetsuwan kyōda ikuchitabi |
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 |
Team Mascots
The Hanshin Tigers have fun mascot characters that entertain fans.
- To Lucky (トラッキー (Torakkii)) is the main mascot. His uniform number is 1985 because that's the year he first appeared. His name combines "Tora" (Japanese for tiger) and "Lucky," meaning "lucky tiger." To Lucky first appeared on the stadium screen in 1985 and as a live character in 1987.
- Lucky (ラッキー Rakkii) is To Lucky's girlfriend. She wears a pink cap.
- Keeta (キー太) is Lucky's little brother. He joined the Tigers in 2011, which is his uniform number. Keeta wears his cap backwards.
Players of Note
Some famous players have been part of the Hanshin Tigers team.
Retired Numbers
The Tigers have honored three players by retiring their jersey numbers. This means no other player on the team will wear these numbers again.
- Fumio Fujimura (Number 10)
- Minoru Murayama (Number 11)
- Yoshio Yoshida (Number 23)
Images for kids
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Hanshin Tigers Emblem
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Hanshin Tigers Cap Insignia
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Hanshin Tigers Uniforms
See also
In Spanish: Hanshin Tigers para niños
