Hanshin Tigers
The Hanshin Tigers (Japanese: 阪神タイガース Hanshin Taigāsu) are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are owned by Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc.
The Hanshin Tigers are one of the oldest professional clubs in Japan. They played their first season in 1936 as the Osaka Tigers and assumed their current team name in 1961.
History
The Hanshin Tigers, one of the oldest professional clubs in Japan, were founded on December 10, 1935 with the team being formed in 1936.[1] 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, Koshien Stadium, is used by high school baseball teams from all over Japan for play in the national championship tournaments in spring and summer. The summer tournament takes place in the middle of the Tigers' season, forcing the Tigers to go on an annual three-week road trip to allow the tournament to be played.
Famous players in Hanshin Tigers history include Fumio Fujimura, Masaru Kageura, Minoru Murayama, Yutaka Enatsu, Masayuki Kakefu, Randy Bass and many others.
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 Zoom-Zoom Stadium Hiroshima (Hiroshima Toyo Carp), and Hotto Motto Field Kobe (part-time home of the Orix Buffaloes). Of the three, only Koshien has an all-dirt infield (the other two have an American-style 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.[2] There is a monument commemorating this visit within the stadium grounds, in an area called Mizuno Square.
Koshien is revered as a "sacred" ballpark, and players traditionally bow before entering and before leaving its hallowed field. The stadium hosts the annual Japanese High School Baseball Championship in the summer and Japanese High School Baseball Invitational Tournament in the spring. 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 soil into their cleat bags as hordes of Japanese media snap photos at arm's length.
Curse of the Colonel
As with many other underachieving baseball teams, a curse is believed to lurk over the Tigers.[3] After their 1985 Japan Series win, fans celebrated by having people who looked like Tigers players jump into the Dōtonbori 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 seasons without a pennant 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 the best record 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 statue is still missing its left hand and glasses. The KFC outlet where this statue once stood has since closed; the statue is now at the KFC headquarters in Yokohama. It is not viewable by the public; only employees and special guests are permitted to gaze into the rescued Colonel's eyes. Since then, the Hanshin Tigers made the 2014 Japan Series, but lost to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in 5 games.
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 once had a reputation for rough behavior and a willingness to brawl with other fans or with each other, although fights are rare these days. A famous Tigers fan tradition (done by other teams of NPB as well) 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 San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers and the Yankees–Red Sox rivalry 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 blows down from a mountain is known to be cold and harsh, hence the song symbolizes the Tiger's brave challenge under hardship. The song can even be found on karaoke boxes.
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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) Dashing swiftly through the wind blowin' from Rokko Powerful hits and skillful pitch achieved a thousand times |
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 – 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) |
| 2012 | 5th | Yutaka Wada (和田 豊) |
| 2013 | 2nd (Advanced to the Climax Series) | Yutaka Wada (和田 豊) |
| 2014 | 2nd (Advanced to the Japan Series) | Yutaka Wada (和田 豊) |
| 2015 | 3rd (Advanced to the Climax Series) | Yutaka Wada (和田 豊) |
| 2016 | 4th | Tomoaki Kanemoto (金本 知憲) |
| 2017 | 2nd (Advanced to the Climax Series) | Tomoaki Kanemoto (金本 知憲) |
| 2018 | 6th | Tomoaki Kanemoto (金本 知憲) |
| 2019 | 3rd | Akihiro Yano (矢野耀大) |
Regular season records
| Osaka Tigers (Japanese Baseball League) | ||||||||||
| Year | Manager | Games | Wins | Losses | Ties | Pct. | GB | Place | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 – Spring/Summer Season | Shigeo Mori | 15 | 9 | 6 | 0 | .600 | N/A | (1 tournament won) | ||
| 1936 – Fall Season | Shuichi Ishimoto | 31 | 24 | 6 | 1 | .774 | N/A | Runners-up (2.5 tournaments won) | ||
| 1937 – Spring Season | Shuichi Ishimoto | 56 | 41 | 14 | 1 | .741 | 0.5 | 2nd (out of 8) | ||
| 1937 – Fall Season | Shuichi Ishimoto | 49 | 39 | 9 | 1 | .806 | -.- | 1st (out of 8) | ||
| 1938 – Spring Season | Shuichi Ishimoto | 35 | 29 | 6 | 0 | .829 | -.- | 1st (out of 8) | ||
| 1938 – Fall Season | Shuichi Ishimoto | 40 | 27 | 13 | 0 | .675 | 3.5 | 2nd (out of 9) | ||
| 1939 | Shuichi Ishimoto | 96 | 63 | 30 | 3 | .672 | 3.5 | 2nd (out of 9) | ||
| Hanshin (Japanese Baseball League) | ||||||||||
| Year | Manager | Games | Wins | Losses | Ties | Pct. | GB | Place | ||
| 1940 | Kenjiro Matsuki | 104 | 64 | 37 | 3 | .630 | 10.5 | 2nd (out of 9) | ||
| 1941 | Kenjiro Matsuki | 84 | 41 | 43 | 0 | .488 | 21.0 | 5th (out of 8) | ||
| 1942 | Tadashi Wakabayashi | 105 | 52 | 48 | 5 | .519 | 21.0 | 3rd (out of 8) | ||
| 1943 | Tadashi Wakabayashi | 84 | 41 | 36 | 7 | .530 | 11.0 | 3rd (out of 8) | ||
| 1944 | Tadashi Wakabayashi | 35 | 27 | 6 | 2 | .800 | -.- | 1st (out of 6) | ||
| 1946 | Fumio Fujimura | 105 | 59 | 46 | 0 | .562 | 7.0 | 3rd (out of 8) | ||
| Osaka Tigers (Japanese Baseball League) | ||||||||||
| Year | Manager | Games | Wins | Losses | Ties | Pct. | GB | Place | ||
| 1947 | Tadashi Wakabayashi | 119 | 79 | 37 | 3 | .676 | -.- | 1st (out of 8) | ||
| 1948 | Tadashi Wakabayashi | 140 | 70 | 66 | 4 | .514 | 17.0 | 3rd (out of 8) | ||
| 1949 | Tadashi Wakabayashi | 137 | 65 | 69 | 3 | .485 | 20.5 | 6th (out of 8) | ||
| Osaka Tigers | ||||||||||
| Year | Manager | Games | Wins | Losses | Ties | Pct. | GB | Place | ||
| 1950 | Kenjiro Matsuki | 140 | 70 | 67 | 3 | .511 | 30.0 | 4th | ||
| 1951 | Kenjiro Matsuki | 116 | 61 | 52 | 3 | .539 | 20.5 | 3rd | ||
| 1952 | Kenjiro Matsuki | 120 | 79 | 40 | 1 | .663 | 3.5 | 2nd | ||
| 1953 | Kenjiro Matsuki | 130 | 74 | 56 | 0 | .569 | 16.0 | 2nd | ||
| 1954 | Kenjiro Matsuki | 130 | 71 | 57 | 2 | .554 | 16.0 | 3rd | ||
| 1955 | Ichiro Kishi (Interim: Fumio Fujimura) | 130 | 71 | 57 | 2 | .554 | 20.5 | 3rd | ||
| 1956 | Fumio Fujimura | 130 | 79 | 50 | 1 | .612 | 4.5 | 2nd | ||
| 1957 | Fumio Fujimura | 130 | 73 | 54 | 3 | .573 | 1.0 | 2nd | ||
| 1958 | Yoshio Tanaka | 130 | 72 | 58 | 0 | .554 | 5.5 | 2nd | ||
| 1959 | Yoshio Tanaka | 130 | 62 | 59 | 9 | .512 | 13.0 | 2nd | ||
| 1960 | Masayasu Kaneda | 130 | 64 | 62 | 4 | .508 | 6.0 | 3rd | ||
| Hanshin Tigers | ||||||||||
| Year | Manager | Games | Wins | Losses | Ties | Pct. | GB | Place | ||
| 1961 | Masayasu Kaneda (Interim: Sadayoshi Fujimoto) | 130 | 60 | 67 | 3 | .473 | 12.5 | 4th | ||
| 1962 | Sadayoshi Fujimoto | 133 | 75 | 55 | 3 | .575 | -.- | 1st | ||
| 1963 | Sadayoshi Fujimoto | 140 | 69 | 70 | 1 | .496 | 14.5 | 3rd | ||
| 1964 | Sadayoshi Fujimoto | 140 | 80 | 56 | 4 | .586 | -.- | 1st | ||
| 1965 | Sadayoshi Fujimoto | 140 | 71 | 66 | 3 | .518 | 19.5 | 3rd | ||
| 1966 | Shigeru Sugishita (Interim: Sadayoshi Fujimoto) | 135 | 64 | 66 | 5 | .493 | 25.0 | 3rd | ||
| 1967 | Sadayoshi Fujimoto | 136 | 70 | 60 | 6 | .537 | 14.0 | 3rd | ||
| 1968 | Sadayoshi Fujimoto | 133 | 72 | 58 | 3 | .553 | 5.0 | 2nd | ||
| 1969 | Tsuguo Goto | 130 | 68 | 59 | 3 | .535 | 6.5 | 2nd | ||
| 1970 | Minoru Murayama | 130 | 77 | 49 | 4 | .608 | 2.0 | 2nd | ||
| 1971 | Minoru Murayama | 130 | 57 | 64 | 9 | .473 | 12.5 | 5th | ||
| 1972 | Minoru Murayama (Interim: Masayasu Kaneda) | 130 | 71 | 56 | 3 | .558 | 3.5 | 2nd | ||
| 1973 | Masayasu Kaneda | 130 | 64 | 59 | 7 | .519 | 0.5 | 2nd | ||
| 1974 | Masayasu Kaneda | 130 | 57 | 64 | 9 | .473 | 14.0 | 4th | ||
| 1975 | Yoshio Yoshida | 130 | 68 | 55 | 7 | .550 | 6.0 | 3rd | ||
| 1976 | Yoshio Yoshida | 130 | 72 | 45 | 13 | .604 | 2.0 | 2nd | ||
| 1977 | Yoshio Yoshida | 130 | 55 | 63 | 12 | .469 | 21.0 | 4th | ||
| 1978 | Tsuguo Goto | 130 | 41 | 80 | 9 | .350 | 30.5 | 6th (last) | ||
| 1979 | Don Blasingame | 130 | 61 | 60 | 9 | .504 | 8.0 | 4th | ||
| 1980 | Don Blasingame (Interim: Futoshi Nakanishi) | 130 | 54 | 66 | 10 | .454 | 20.5 | 5th | ||
| 1981 | Futoshi Nakanishi | 130 | 67 | 58 | 5 | .535 | 8.0 | 3rd | ||
| 1982 | Motoo Andoh (Interim: Takao Sato) | 130 | 65 | 57 | 8 | .531 | 4.5 | 3rd | ||
| 1983 | Motoo Andoh | 130 | 62 | 63 | 5 | .496 | 11.5 | 4th | ||
| 1984 | Motoo Andoh | 130 | 53 | 69 | 8 | .438 | 23.0 | 4th | ||
| 1985 | Yoshio Yoshida | 130 | 74 | 49 | 7 | .596 | -.- | 1st – Won Japan Series | ||
| 1986 | Yoshio Yoshida | 130 | 60 | 60 | 10 | .500 | 13.5 | 3rd | ||
| 1987 | Yoshio Yoshida | 130 | 41 | 83 | 6 | .338 | 37.5 | 6th (last) | ||
| 1988 | Minoru Murayama | 130 | 51 | 77 | 2 | .400 | 29.5 | 6th (last) | ||
| 1989 | Minoru Murayama | 130 | 54 | 75 | 1 | .419 | 30.5 | 5th | ||
| 1990 | Katsuhiro Nakamura | 130 | 52 | 78 | 0 | .400 | 36.0 | 6th (last) | ||
| 1991 | Katsuhiro Nakamura | 130 | 48 | 82 | 0 | .369 | 26.0 | 6th (last) | ||
| 1992 | Katsuhiro Nakamura | 132 | 67 | 63 | 2 | .515 | 2.0 | 2nd/3rd (tied) | ||
| 1993 | Katsuhiro Nakamura | 132 | 63 | 67 | 2 | .485 | 17.0 | 4th | ||
| 1994 | Katsuhiro Nakamura | 130 | 62 | 68 | 0 | .477 | 8.0 | 4th/5th (tied) | ||
| 1995 | Katsuhiro Nakamura (Interim: Taira Fujita) | 130 | 46 | 84 | 0 | .354 | 36.0 | 6th (last) | ||
| 1996 | Taira Fujita (Interim: Takeshi Shibata) | 130 | 54 | 76 | 0 | .415 | 23.0 | 6th (last) | ||
| 1997 | Yoshio Yoshida | 136 | 62 | 73 | 1 | .460 | 21.0 | 5th | ||
| 1998 | Yoshio Yoshida | 135 | 52 | 83 | 0 | .385 | 27.0 | 6th (last) | ||
| 1999 | Katsuya Nomura | 135 | 55 | 80 | 0 | .407 | 26.0 | 6th (last) | ||
| 2000 | Katsuya Nomura | 136 | 57 | 78 | 1 | .423 | 21.0 | 6th (last) | ||
| 2001 | Katsuya Nomura | 140 | 57 | 80 | 3 | .418 | 20.5 | 6th (last) | ||
| 2002 | Senichi Hoshino | 140 | 66 | 70 | 4 | .486 | 19.0 | 4th | ||
| 2003 | Senichi Hoshino | 140 | 87 | 51 | 2 | .629 | -.- | 1st | ||
| 2004 | Akinobu Okada | 138 | 66 | 70 | 2 | .485 | 13.0 | 4th | ||
| 2005 | Akinobu Okada | 146 | 87 | 54 | 5 | .617 | -.- | 1st | ||
| 2006 | Akinobu Okada | 146 | 84 | 58 | 4 | .592 | 3.5 | 2nd | ||
| 2007 | Akinobu Okada | 144 | 74 | 66 | 4 | .529 | 4.5 | 3rd | ||
| 2008 | Akinobu Okada | 144 | 82 | 59 | 3 | .582 | 2.0 | 2nd | ||
| 2009 | Akinobu Mayumi | 144 | 67 | 73 | 4 | .479 | 24.5 | 4th | ||
| 2010 | Akinobu Mayumi | 144 | 78 | 63 | 3 | .553 | 1.0 | 2nd | ||
| 2011 | Akinobu Mayumi | 144 | 68 | 70 | 6 | .493 | 9.0 | 4th | ||
| 2012 | Yutaka Wada | 144 | 55 | 75 | 14 | .423 | 31.5 | 5th | ||
| 2013 | Yutaka Wada | 144 | 73 | 67 | 4 | .521 | 12.5 | 2nd | ||
| 2014 | Yutaka Wada | 144 | 75 | 68 | 1 | .524 | 7.0 | 2nd | ||
| 2015 | Yutaka Wada | 143 | 70 | 71 | 2 | .496 | 6.0 | 3rd | ||
| 2016 | Tomoaki Kanemoto | 143 | 64 | 76 | 3 | .457 | 24.5 | 4th | ||
| 2017 | Tomoaki Kanemoto | 143 | 78 | 61 | 4 | .561 | 10.0 | 2nd | ||
| 2018 | Tomoaki Kanemoto | 143 | 62 | 79 | 2 | .440 | 20.0 | 6th | ||
| 2019 | Akihiro Yano | 143 | 69 | 68 | 6 | .504 | 6.0 | 3rd | ||
NOTE: The 1944 Japanese Baseball League season was cut-short and the 1945 season was cancelled due to the ongoing war (World War II) with many players being enlisted to fight.
List of managers
| Name | Term | Regular Season | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | T | Win% | |||||||||||||
| Osaka Tigers and Hanshin Tigers | |||||||||||||||||
| Shigeo Mori | 1936 (Spring – Summer) | 15 | 9 | 6 | 0 | .600 | |||||||||||
| Shuichi Ishimoto | 1936 (Fall)-1939 | 307 | 223 | 78 | 6 | .736 | |||||||||||
| Kenjiro Matsuki | 1940–1941 & 1950–1954 | 824 | 460 | 352 | 12 | .565 | |||||||||||
| Tadashi Wakabayashi | 1942–1944 & 1947–1949 | 620 | 334 | 262 | 24 | .558 | |||||||||||
| Fumio Fujimura | 1946 & 1956–1957 | 365 | 211 | 150 | 4 | .584 | |||||||||||
| Ichiro Kishi | 1955 | 130 | 71 | 57 | 2 | .554 | |||||||||||
| Yoshio Tanaka | 1958–1959 | 260 | 134 | 117 | 9 | .533 | |||||||||||
| Masayasu Kaneda | 1960–1961 & 1973–1974 | 520 | 245 | 252 | 23 | .493 | |||||||||||
| Sadayoshi Fujimoto | 1962–1965 & 1967–1968 | 822 | 437 | 365 | 20 | .544 | |||||||||||
| Shigeru Sugishita | 1966 | 135 | 64 | 66 | 5 | .493 | |||||||||||
| Tsuguo Goto | 1969 & 1978 | 260 | 109 | 139 | 12 | .442 | |||||||||||
| Minoru Murayama | 1970–1972 & 1988–1989 | 650 | 310 | 321 | 19 | .491 | |||||||||||
| Yoshio Yoshida | 1975–1977, 1985–1987 & 1997–1998 | 1051 | 484 | 511 | 56 | .487 | |||||||||||
| Don Blasingame | 1979–1980 | 260 | 115 | 126 | 19 | .479 | |||||||||||
| Futoshi Nakanishi | 1981 | 130 | 67 | 58 | 5 | .535 | |||||||||||
| Motoo Andoh | 1982–1984 | 390 | 180 | 189 | 21 | .488 | |||||||||||
| Katsuhiro Nakamura | 1990–1995 | 784 | 338 | 442 | 4 | .434 | |||||||||||
| Taira Fujita | 1996 | 130 | 54 | 76 | 0 | .415 | |||||||||||
| Katsuya Nomura | 1999–2001 | 411 | 169 | 238 | 4 | .416 | |||||||||||
| Senichi Hoshino | 2002–2003 | 280 | 153 | 121 | 6 | .557 | |||||||||||
| Akinobu Okada | 2004–2008 | 723 | 393 | 307 | 23 | .559 | |||||||||||
| Akinobu Mayumi | 2009–2011 | 432 | 213 | 206 | 13 | .508 | |||||||||||
| Yutaka Wada | 2012–2015 | 575 | 273 | 281 | 21 | .493 | |||||||||||
| Tomoaki Kanemoto | 2016–2018 | 429 | 204 | 216 | 9 | .486 | |||||||||||
| Akihiro Yano | 2019–present | 143 | 69 | 68 | 6 | .504 | |||||||||||
Players of note
Current roster
Hanshin Tigers roster | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First squad | Second squad | ||||||
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Pitchers
Catchers |
Infielders
Outfielders
Manager
Coaches
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Pitchers
Catchers
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Infielders
Outfielders
Manager
Coaches
Development Players
Updated 2020-07-02 | ||||
Former players
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Retired numbers
- 10
- 11
- 23
MLB Players
- Kenji Johjima (2006-2009)
- Ryan Vogelsong (2000–2006, 2011–2017)
- Tsuyoshi Shinjo (2001–2003)
- Keiichi Yabu (2005,2008)
- Cecil Fielder (1985–1988, 1990–1998)
- Glenn Davis (1984–1993)
- Chris Oxspring (2005)
- Kei Igawa (2007–2010)
- Marvell Wynne (1983–1990)
- Craig Worthington (1988–1992, 1995–1996)
- Jeff Williams (1999–2002)
- Marc Valdes (1995–1998, 2000–2001)
- Tony Tarasco (1993–1999, 2002)
- Jerrod Riggan (2000–2003)
- Alonzo Powell (1987, 1991)
- Matt Murton (2005–2009)
- Leon McFadden (1972)
- Seung-hwan Oh (2016–2019)
Media relating to the Tigers
Mascots
To Lucky (トラッキー, Torakkii) is a mascot character of the Tigers. With his girlfriend Lucky, he entertains spectators at team games. His uniform number is 1985, because his first appearance was in 1985. His name is a combination of two separate Japanese words, Tora (トラ), meaning tiger and Rakki (ラッキ) meaning lucky. His name therefore means "lucky tiger" in Japanese.
To Lucky first appeared on the screen at Hanshin Koshien Stadium in 1985. He appeared as a live-action character in 1987. His design was updated in 1992.
Newspapers
- 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)
Stations
(Broadcasting):
- 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)
See also
References
- "Tigers History". Hanshin Tigers. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- Kelly, William W. (2004). "Sense and Sensibility at the Ballpark: What Fans Make of Professional Baseball in Modern Japan". In Kelly, William W. (ed.). Fanning the Flames: Fans and Consumer Culture in Contemporary Japan. State University of New York Press. pp. 79–106. ISBN 9780791485385.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hanshin Tigers. |