| Prefecture | Hyogo |
|---|---|
| Stadium/Arena | Hanshin Koshien Stadium |
Hanshin Tigers are a member of the Central League of professional baseball in Japan.
One of the most popular baseball teams in Japan is the Hanshin Tigers.
Their rivals are the Yomiuri Giants. The Hanshin vs. Giants game is one of the best rivalry matchups in Japanese professional sports.
Hanshin's home field is Koshien Stadium, and on the days of Hanshin Tigers games, almost the entire stadium is dyed yellow.
While the Giants have won Japan's top prize 22 times, Hanshin has only been crowned once. That one time was the 1985 season.
For Hanshin fans, 1985 was a season they will never forget.
The batting line, led by Randy Bass, Kakefu and Okada, was so strong that it was called the new dynamite batting lineup, including the legendary back screen triple.
And they won the league championship for the first time in 21 years at Jingu Stadium.
The Hanshin Tigers, who have yet to win the Japan Series since the introduction of the two-league system(Since 1950), will play the Seibu Lions in the Japan Series. The Japan Series started at the Seibu Stadium in Tokorozawa, and Hanshin took a 3-2 lead in Game 6 back at the Seibu Stadium.
Hanshin won this game and achieved their long-cherished dream of becoming the top team in Japan.
After that, a dark period followed. However, they won the league championship in 2003 and again in 2005, but failed to win the Japan championship in either year.
The team has a song called Rokko Oroshi, which the fans sing in chorus when they watch games at the stadium.
Team Information
Team: Hanshin Tigers
Location: Osaka, Hyogo
Ballpark: Koshien Stadium
Year founded: 1935
Management: Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd.
Titles:Japan Series(1), Central League(5)
Retired numbers: 10 Fumio Fujimura, 11 Minoru Murayama, 23 Yoshio Yoshida
Former players related to MLB:
Tsuyoshi Shinjo (to San Francisco Giants)
Ryan Vogelsong (to San Francisco Giants)
Kei Igawa (to New York Yankees)
Kyuji Fujikawa (to Chicago Cubs)
Keiichi Yabu (to Oakland Athletics)
Cecil Fielder (to Detroit Tigers)
Glenn Davis (Baltimore Orioles)
Matt Murton (Chicago Cubs)
Mike Greenwell (Boston Red Sox)
Justtin Bour (Miami Marlins)