Hanshin Tigers

Hanshin Tigers Team logo Cap insignia League Nippon Professional Baseball (1950–present) Central League (1950–present) Ballpark Koshien Stadium (1936–present) Year established 1935 Nickname(s) Tora (トラ?, tigers) Mōko (猛虎?, fierce tigers) Japanese Baseball League titles 4 (Fall 1937, Spring 1938, 1944, 1947) Central League pennants 5 (1962, 1964, 1985, 2003, 2005) Japan Series championships 1 (1985) Former name(s) Osaka Tigers (1935–1940) Hanshin B.C. (1940–1944) Osaka Tigers (1946–1960) Hanshin Tigers (1961–present) Former league(s) Japanese Baseball League (1936-1949) Colors Yellow, Black, White                Retired numbers 10, 11, 23 Ownership Hanshin Electric Railway Co. Manager Yutaka Wada General Manager Katsuhiro Nakamura Uniforms HANSHIN Tigers Co., Ltd. 株式会社阪神タイガース Type Kabushiki gaisha Founded Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan (December 10, 1935 (1935-12-10), Osaka Baseball Club Co.) Headquarters 2-33, Koshiencho, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan Parent Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd. Footnotes / 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 playing in the Central League. The team is based in Koshien, 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

Kōshien Stadium (in 2009)

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, 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 Stadium in Hiroshima (Hiroshima Toyo Carp), and Skymark Stadium in Kobe (part-time home of the Orix Buffaloes). Of the three, only Koshien has an all-dirt infield (the other two aforementioned parks 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. 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 paparazzi 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.^[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 left 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; the statue is now located at an outlet near Koshien Stadium.

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 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.

Season-by-season

From the Kosaido Publishing Co., Ltd. (株式会社廣済堂出版, Kabushikigaisha Kōsaidō Shuppan) guidebook.

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 (As of April 16) Yutaka Wada 17 7 10 0 .412 - 5th NOTE: The 1944 Japanese Baseball League season was cut-short and the 1945 season was canceled due to the ongoing war (World War II) with many players being enlisted to fight. List of Hanshin Tigers managers Name Term Regular Season GC W L T Win% Osaka Tigers & 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–present 432 203 210 19 .492 Players of note Current players Hanshin Tigers roster First squad Second squad Pitchers 14 Atsushi Nomi 16 Yuya Ando 17 Yuta Iwasada 19 Shintaro Fujinami 21 Minoru Iwata 22 Oh Seung-hwan 26 Hiroaki Saiuchi 28 Shinobu Fukuhara 34 Kazuya Takamiya 54 Randy Messenger 56 Ryoma Matsuda Catchers 40 Kazunari Tsuruoka 44 Ryutaro Umeno 50 Akihito Fujii Infielders  1 Takashi Toritani  3 Kentaro Sekimoto  4 Hiroki Uemoto  5 Mauro Gómez  7 Tsuyoshi Nishioka 25 Takahiro Arai 32 Ryota Arai 35 Katsuhiko Saka 58 Fumiya Araki Outfielders  0 Yamato  8 Kosuke Fukudome  9 Matt Murton 51 Hayata Ito 68 Shunsuke Manager 86 Yutaka Wada Pitchers 12 Ryo Watanabe 13 Daiki Enokida 15 Masanori Fujihara 20 Kazuya Tsutsui 27 Takumi Akiyama 29 Tatsuya Kojima 30 Tomoyuki Kubota 41 Kojiro Tanabo 42 Yuji Yoshimi 43 Ken Nishimura 46 Naoto Tsuru 47 Shoya Yamamoto 48 Kazuyuki Kaneda 53 Yoshinori Tateyama 59 Akira Iwamoto 63 Kosuke Kato 64 Hirokazu Shiranita 66 Kazuhito Futagami 67 Suguru Iwazaki 92 Kazuo Ito 97 Yutaka Tamaki Catchers 37 Takeshi Hidaka 39 Shinji Komiyama 45 Takashi Shimizu 49 Ryota Imanari 52 Shinya Azukihata 57 Taichi Okazaki Infielders  2 Fumiya Hojo 33 Naoto Nishida 38 Haruki Kurose 55 Naomasa Yokawa 69 Issei Morita Outfielders 00 Kohei Shibata 24 Shintaro Yokota 36 Shinta Hifumi 60 Masahiro Nakatani 61 Kenichi Tagami 62 Hisashi Takayama 65 Ryosuke Ogata 99 Keisuke Kano Manager 72 Katsuo Hirata Development Players 122 Tetsuya Sakaguchi (infielder) 124 Fumihito Haraguchi (catcher) 126 Hiroya Shimamoto (pitcher) Updated October 18, 2014 Former players Shinjiro Hiyama (桧山 進次郎) - OF Norihiro Akahoshi (赤星 憲広) - OF Kenji Johjima (健司 城島 ) - OF George Altman - OF Sohachi Aniya (安仁屋 宗八) - P George Arias - IF Scott Atchison - P Gene Bacque - P Randy Bass - IF Kaoru Betto (別当 薫) - OF 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 Tomoaki Kanemoto (金本 知憲) - 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 Ramón 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 Pérez - 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 Retired numbers 10 Fumio Fujimura (藤村 富実男) 11 Minoru Murayama (村山 実) 23 Yoshio Yoshida (吉田 義男) MLB Players Ryan Vogelsong (2000-2006, 2011-) 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) Media relating to the Tigers Mascots To Lucky Lucky Kiita 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 Central League Western League Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group - Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd. References ↑ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/web/COM1032847/index.htm External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hanshin Tigers. (Japanese) Hanshin Tigers official web site Suicide Spurs Reflections on Japanese Baseball - The New York Times Nippon Professional Baseball (2014) Central League Pacific League Chunichi Dragons Hanshin Tigers Hiroshima Toyo Carp Tokyo Yakult Swallows Yokohama DeNA BayStars Yomiuri Giants Chiba Lotte Marines Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters Orix Buffaloes Saitama Seibu Lions Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles Postseason Climax Series Japan Series Asia Series All-Star Series World Baseball Classic Baseball awards Hall of Fame Players Seasons Western League Eastern League Japanese Professional Baseball Hanshin Tigers roster First squad 00 Kohei Shibata 0 Yamato 1 Takashi Toritani 2 Fumiya Hojo 4 Hiroki Uemoto 5 Mauro Gómez 7 Tsuyoshi Nishioka 8 Kosuke Fukudome 9 Matt Murton 13 Daiki Enokida 14 Atsushi Nomi 17 Yuta Iwasada 19 Shintaro Fujinami 20 Kazuya Tsutsui 21 Minoru Iwata 22 Oh Seung-hwan 25 Taiga Egoshi 26 Hiroaki Saiuchi 27 Takumi Akiyama 28 Shinobu Fukuhara 30 Tsuyoshi Ishizaki 33 Naoto Nishida 39 Shinji Komiyama 44 Ryutaro Umeno 45 Takashi Shimizu 47 Shoya Yamamoto 48 Kazuyuki Kaneda 49 Ryota Imanari 51 Hayata Ito 54 Randy Messenger 55 Naomasa Yokawa 59 Akira Iwamoto 60 Masahiro Nakatani 64 Kentaro Kuwahara 66 Kazuhito Futagami 69 Hiroya Shimamoto 99 Keisuke Kanoh Second squad 3 Kentaro Sekimoto 12 Ryo Watanabe 15 Yuya Yokoyama 16 Yuya Ando 24 Shintaro Yokota 29 Tatsuya Kojima 32 Ryota Arai 34 Kazuya Takamiya 35 Katsuhiko Saka 36 Shinta Hifumi 37 Yuto Morikoshi 38 Haruki Kurose 40 Kazunari Tsuruoka 41 Mario Santiago 42 Masanori Fujihara 43 Koki Moriya 46 Naoto Tsuru 50 Akihito Fujii 56 Ryoma Matsuda 57 Taichi Okazaki 58 Fumiya Araki 61 Kenichi Tagami 62 Kai Ueda 63 Kosuke Kato 65 Ryosuke Ogata 67 Suguru Iwazaki 68 Shunsuke 92 Kazuo Ito 97 Yutaka Tamaki Development players 116 Kojiro Tanabo (pitcher) 118 Travis (pitcher) 124 Fumihito Haraguchi (catcher) First squad Coaches Manager: 86 Yutaka Wada Head coach: 78 Katsuo Hirata Strategy coach and fielding and base coach for infielders: 70 Nobuhiro Yakashiro Pitching coaches: 71 Kiyooki Nakanishi, 85 Takashi Yamaguchi Hitting coaches: 75 Mitsunobu Takahashi, 77 Koichi Sekikawa, 80 Tom O'Malley Fielding and base coach for outfielders: 89 Koji Yamawaki Fielding and base coach: 73 Naoyuki Kazaoka Battery coach: 82 Katsuhiko Yamada Training coach: 91 Atsunori Ito Second squad Coaches Manager: 83 Hideo Furuya Pitching coaches: 88 Yasuo Kubo (Head), 90 Isao Koda Hitting coaches: 76 Hiroshi Yagi (Head), 79 Osamu Hamanaka Fielding and base coaches for infielders: 96 So Tsutsui, 74 Atsushi Fujimoto Fielding and base coach for outfielders: 87 Yutaka Nakamura Battery coach: 81 Yasuo Yoshida GM's Assistants Coordinator of Development & Hitting: Masayuki Kakefu Hanshin Tigers Formerly the Osaka Tigers and Hanshin Based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo, Japan The Franchise Hanshin Electric Railway Co. History Seasons Records Players Managers Broadcasters Ballparks Koshien Stadium Culture Curse of the Colonel Lucky To Lucky Rivalries Yomiuri Giants Retired Numbers 10 11 23 Japan Series Championships (1) 1985 Central League Championships (5) 1962 1964 1985 2003 2005 2014 Japanese Baseball League Championships (4) Fall 1937 Spring 1938 1944 1947   Seasons (74) 1930s 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940s 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950s 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960s 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970s 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980s 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990s 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000s 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010s 2010