#hanshin tigers

[1863-project]

(video and tweet source)

THE HANSHIN TIGERS HAVE BROKEN THE CURSE OF THE COLONEL!

For the people who don't know, in 1985, the Hanshin Tigers won their first (and at the time, only) Japan Series victory. Traditionally, they've been hard luck losers, and they're often compared to the Red Sox in the sense of their being overshadowed by the Yomiuri Giants, who, like the Yankees, have won more championships than any other team in their league.

When they won, fans resembling the players on the team were jumping into the Dotonbori Canal in Osaka - the fans would yell out a player's name, and a fan who looked like them would jump in. The problem was when they got to Randy Bass, who none of the Japanese fans looked like. They needed to find something resembling him and selected a statue of Colonel Sanders, who was white and had a beard like Bass, and threw it into the canal.

Colonel Sanders sank underwater, and the Hanshin Tigers did...horribly after that, usually coming in last in the league or close to it, to the point where the team was considered cursed by his presence in the canal. The team made the Japan Series a few times after that in the 2000s and once in the 2010s, but lost each time.

In 2009, the Colonel was located and recovered from the Dotonbori Canal, save for his left hand and his glasses. He's now at a location near Koshien Stadium, where the Tigers play their home games (and where the famed national high school baseball championships are played), and can be viewed there to this day.

Fans were, however, not convinced that they had earned the Colonel's forgiveness, since his hand and glasses were missing. In the image above, he's been given some replacement glasses, but he still lacks a left hand.

This year, Hanshin beat the Orix Buffaloes, a team that plays roughly 20 minutes away by train in Nishinomiya, 4-3 in a seven-game series. The curse is thus considered broken...so the fans did what they do best, and threw a fan dressed like Colonel Sanders into the Dotonbori Canal.

For years, this has been my favorite baseball story, and I'm so happy that I was alive to see it seen all the way through. Congratulations, Hanshin fans!

[sachi]

☆ Lum // Urusei Yatsura x Hanshin Tigers "Anime Color ver." ☆ 1/10 / Kotobukiya ☆ June 2010 ¥4,180

[yridenergyridenergy]

[shihlun]

1983 Talking Heads Speaking In Tongues Tour Backstage Pass.

[pokemonwearingsportsmerch]

[cookinguptales]

GUESS WHO WAS EATING DINNER IN DOTONBORI WHEN THE HANSHIN TIGERS WON

[aagciii]

Congratulations Hanshin Tigers!

[ilchohand]

pro!Koushuu (batter) - Hanshin Tigers ver. ² ᵒᶠ ⁴ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉˢᵉ ˢᵉʳᶦᵉˢ ᵒᶠ ᶠᵃⁿᵃʳᵗˢ ᴵ ᵐᵃᵈᵉ ᶠᵒʳ ᵐʸ ᴺᴾᴮ/ᴰᵃᶦʸᵃ ᵇᵉˢᵗᶦᵉˢ ᵃˢ ᵃ ᶜʰʳᶦˢᵗᵐᵃˢ ᵍᶦᶠᵗ

[1863-project]

help, I posted about how a team won a baseball pennant and ritually sacrificed a fast food mascot to win their only championship for 38 years and now it's at over 10,000 notes

[bonguri]

20231230 Nakamura park-Meieki 10 by Bong Grit Via Flickr: トラキチさんのお宅なんですね、きっと。 @Nakamura ward, Nagoya city, Aichi pref., Japan.（愛知県名古屋市中村区）

[yridenergyridenergy]

Kaoru, The Freedom of Expression featuring Morikawa Toshiyuki

[cognitiveleague]

Oh my god

It’s happened

After more years than I’ve been alive, Colonel Sanders’ wrath has been appeased!!

The curse is lifted!!! Miracles do happen!!!!! After the trauma of the first goddamn series of the MLB playoffs this year, I believe in love and baseball again!!!!!!

[blonde-bomber]

[pokemonwearingsportsmerch]

[guitar-ijiri-house]