View source for Hanshin Tigers

{{Short description|Japanese baseball team}}
{{expand Japanese|topic=sport|date=August 2024}}{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox baseball team
| name                = Hanshin Tigers
| logo = Hanshin_tigers_emblem.svg
| cap_logo            = Hanshin tigers insignia.svg
| league = '''[[Nippon Professional Baseball]]'''
:'''[[Central League]] (1950–present)'''
{{nowrap|[[Japanese Baseball League]] (1936–1949)}}
| location = HQ in [[Nishinomiya]], [[Hyōgo Prefecture|Hyōgo]], Japan
| founded = {{start date and age|1935|12|10}}
| nickname = {{plainlist|
* ''Tora'' ({{lang|ja|トラ}}, tigers)
* ''Mōko'' ({{lang|ja|猛虎}}, fierce tigers)
* Nishinomiya Tigers
}}
| former_names        ={{plainlist|
* Osaka Tigers (1946–1960)
* Hanshin Club (1940–1944)
* Osaka Tigers (1935–1940)
}}
| stadium =[[Hanshin Koshien Stadium]] (1936–present) <br />[[Kyocera Dome Osaka]] (interim)
| league_champ_type   = CL pennants
| league_champs       = '''7''' ([[1962 Nippon Professional Baseball season|1962]], [[1964 Nippon Professional Baseball season|1964]], [[1985 Nippon Professional Baseball season|1985]], [[2003 Nippon Professional Baseball season|2003]], [[2005 Nippon Professional Baseball season|2005]], [[2023 Nippon Professional Baseball season|2023]], [[2025 Nippon Professional Baseball season|2025]])
| series = [[Japan Series]]
| series_champs = '''2''' ([[1985 Nippon Series|1985]], [[2023 Japan Series|2023]])
| series2             = JBL
| series2_champs      = '''4''' (1937 Fall, 1938 Spring, 1944, 1947)
| colors = Yellow, Black, White<br />{{color box|#ffd101}} {{color box|#060606}} {{color box|white}}
| mascot = To-Lucky, Lucky, and Kita
| manager = [[Kyuji Fujikawa]]
| berths = '''13''' ([[2007 Central League Climax Series|2007]], [[2008 Central League Climax Series|2008]], [[2010 Central League Climax Series|2010]], [[2013 Central League Climax Series|2013]], [[2014 Central League Climax Series|2014]], [[2015 Central League Climax Series|2015]], [[2017 Central League Climax Series|2017]], [[2019 Central League Climax Series|2019]], [[2021 Central League Climax Series|2021]], [[2022 Central League Climax Series|2022]], [[2023 Central League Climax Series|2023]], [[2024 Central League Climax Series|2024]], [[2025 Central League Climax Series|2025]])
| retired_numbers = {{hlist|[[Fumio Fujimura|10]]|[[Minoru Murayama|11]]|[[Yoshio Yoshida (baseball)|23]]}}
|website=https://hanshintigers.jp/| owner = [[Takaoki Fujiwara]]
| management = [[Hanshin Electric Railway|Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd.]]
| uniform             = [[File:Hanshin Tigers uniforms.png|center|175px]]
|native_name=阪神タイガース|native_name_lang=ja}}

The {{nihongo|'''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 [[Nishinomiya]], Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, next to their main stadium, [[Hanshin Koshien Stadium]].

The Tigers 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==
[[File:Summer Koshien 2009 Final.jpg|thumb|left|Kōshien Stadium in 2009]]
The Hanshin Tigers, the second-oldest professional club in Japan, were founded on December 10, 1935, with the team being formed in 1936.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hanshintigers.jp/data/history/1935_1939.html|title=Tigers History|website=Hanshin Tigers|access-date=December 5, 2019|archive-date=December 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205142352/https://hanshintigers.jp/data/history/1935_1939.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The team was first called Ōsaka Tigers. In 1940, amid anti-foreign sentiment and the [[Hideki Tojo|Tojo government]]'s ban on English nicknames, the Tigers changed the name to simply Hanshin. In 1947, the team reverted to Ōsaka Tigers after the JPBL permitted use of English nicknames. The current team name was assumed in 1961 due to the team playing in the suburb of [[Nishinomiya]], which is not in [[Osaka Prefecture]].

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 [[Pacific League]], the Tigers have won the Central League pennant seven times (1962, 1964, 1985, 2003, 2005, 2023, 2025) and Japan Series twice (1985, 2023).

When the 2004 [[Major League Baseball]] season began 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.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gallagher |first= Jack|date=March 30, 2004 |title= Tigers maul Bronx Bombers|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2004/03/30/baseball/mlb/tigers-maul-bronx-bombers/ |work= [[The Japan Times]]|location= |access-date=May 9, 2024}}</ref>

The [[2025 Major League Baseball season]] kicked off with [[MLB Tokyo Series 2025|two games at the Tokyo Dome]] between the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] and the [[Chicago Cubs]]. Prior to the series, the Tigers played exhibition games against each of these major league clubs, winning both on consecutive shutouts.  

In 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009, more than three million people attended games hosted by the Tigers, the only one of the 12 Nippon Professional Baseball teams to achieve this. In 2011, the Hanshin Tigers drew an average home attendance of 40,256.<ref>https://billsportsmaps.com/?p=3780</ref>

The home field, [[Koshien Stadium]], is used by high school baseball teams from all over Japan for the [[High school baseball in Japan|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 a road trip and play their home games at [[Kyocera Dome Osaka]]. Fans call this "The Road of Death".

Famous players in Hanshin Tigers history include [[Fumio Fujimura]], [[Masaru Kageura]], [[Minoru Murayama]], [[Yutaka Enatsu]], [[Masayuki Kakefu]], [[Randy Bass]], [[Taira Fujita]], and many others.

==Koshien Stadium==
The home field of the Tigers, [[Koshien Stadium|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.){{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

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 Baseball|Major League]] stars in 1934.<ref>{{cite book|title=Fanning the Flames: Fans and Consumer Culture in Contemporary Japan|publisher=State University of New York Press|date=2004|editor-last=Kelly|editor-first=William W.|chapter=Sense and Sensibility at the Ballpark: What Fans Make of Professional Baseball in Modern Japan|last=Kelly|first=William W.|pages=79–106|isbn=9780791485385}}</ref> There is a monument commemorating this visit within the stadium grounds, in an area called Mizuno Square.

==Curse of the Colonel==

{{Main | Curse of the Colonel}}

As with many other underachieving baseball teams, a [[Sports curses|curse]] was believed to lurk over the Tigers.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/web/COM1032847/index.htm |title = David Vecsey: Time to exorcise baseball ghosts – 09.20.03 – SI Vault |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120716220400/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/web/COM1032847/index.htm |archive-date=16 July 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1985, when the Tigers had just clinched the Central League pennant, fans celebrated by having people who looked like Tigers players jump into the [[Dōtonbori|Dōtonbori Canal]]. According to legend, because none of the fans resembled [[first baseman]] [[Randy Bass]], fans grabbed a life-sized statue of the [[KFC]] mascot, [[Colonel Sanders]], and threw it into the river (like Bass, the Colonel had a beard and was not Japanese). After this the Tigers managed to defeat the [[Seibu Lions]] in the 1985 Japan Series four games to three. After many seasons after the incident 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 the statues from Tigers fans.

In 2005, like 2003, they clinched the pennant and made it back to the Japan Series, but lost to [[Bobby Valentine]]'s Chiba Lotte Marines. They were outscored 33–4 in four games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=一般社団法人日本野球機構 |title=2005年度日本シリーズ 試合結果 |url=http://npb.jp/bis/scores/nipponseries/linescore2005.html |access-date=2025-06-24 |website=npb.jp |language=ja}}</ref>

The top half of the Colonel Sanders statue (excluding both hands) 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. Since then, the Hanshin Tigers made the [[2014 Japan Series]], but lost to the [[Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks]] in 5 games. The curse was finally broken, after the Hanshin Tigers managed to defeat the rival [[Orix Buffaloes]] in the [[2023 Japan Series]] four games to three.

==Fandom==
[[File:Koshien-tigers.jpg|thumb|Tigers fans at a home game at Koshien Stadium]]
[[File:Hanshin Tigers, August 2013 ay Kyocera Dome.jpg|thumb|Tigers fans release balloons at the Kyocera Dome, the home stadium of the Orix Buffaloes|alt=]]
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.<ref name=WhitingWa>[[Whiting, Robert]]. ''You Gotta Have Wa'' (Vintage Departures, 1989), pp. 118–120.</ref>

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 [[Dodgers–Giants rivalry|Dodgers-Giants]] and [[Yankees–Red Sox rivalry|Yankees-Red Sox]] rivalries in Major League Baseball or [[El Clásico]] in [[Football in Spain|Spanish football]]. The two teams have historically had a relatively close record of games with the Giants taking 1127 wins over the Tigers whereas the Tigers have taken 888 games over the Giants. 77 of the total games between the two have ended in tie.<ref>{{Cite web |title=巨人 年度別チームカード別対戦成績 ～my favorite giants～ |url=https://www.my-favorite-giants.net/giants_data/result/record_against.htm |access-date=2024-11-11 |website=www.my-favorite-giants.net}}</ref> 

=== Fight song ===
"{{nihongo|The Hanshin Tigers' Song|阪神タイガースの歌|Hanshin Tigers no Uta|}}", as known as "{{nihongo|Rokko Oroshi|六甲颪, 六甲おろし||{{lit}} The (Downward) Wind of [[Mount Rokko]]}}", lyrics by {{nihongo|Sonosuke Sato|佐藤 惣之助||}} and composed by {{nihongo|[[Yuji Koseki]]|古関 裕而||}}, is a popular song in the [[Kansai]] area. It is the official fight song of the Tigers. 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 be found on [[karaoke]] boxes.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
|-
! Japanese !! Romaji !! English
|-
| style="line-height: 2em" | {{lang|ja|
{{Ruby-ja|六甲颪|ろっこうおろし}}に{{Ruby-ja|颯爽|さっそう}}と<br />
{{Ruby-ja|蒼天|そうてん}}{{Ruby-ja|翔|か}}ける{{Ruby-ja|日輪|にちりん}}の<br />
青春の覇気 {{Ruby-ja|美|うるわ}}しく<br />
輝く我が名ぞ 阪神タイガース<br />
オウ オウ オウオウ 阪神タイガース<br />
フレフレフレフレ

{{Ruby-ja|闘志|とうし}}{{Ruby-ja|溌剌|はつらつ}}{{Ruby-ja|起|た}}つや今<br />
熱血 {{Ruby-ja|既|すで}}に敵を{{Ruby-ja|衝|つ}}く<br />
獣王の意気高らかに<br />
無敵の我等ぞ 阪神タイガース<br />
オウ オウ オウオウ 阪神タイガース<br />
フレフレフレフレ

鉄腕強打{{Ruby-ja|幾千|いくち}}{{Ruby-ja|度|た}}び<br />
鍛えてここに 甲子園<br />
勝利に燃ゆる栄冠は<br />
輝く我等ぞ 阪神タイガース<br />
オウ オウ オウオウ 阪神タイガース<br />
フレフレフレフレ}}
| style="padding:5px" |
Rokkō oroshi ni sassō to<br />
Sōten kakeru nichirin no<br />
Seishun no haki uruwashiku<br />
Kagayaku wagana zo Hanshin Tigers<br />
Ō-ō-ō-ō Hanshin Tigers<br />
Fure-fure-fure-fure

Tōshi hatsuratsu tatsu ya ima<br />
Nekketsu sude ni teki o tsuku<br />
Jūō no iki takaraka ni<br />
Muteki no warera zo Hanshin Tigers<br />
Ō-ō-ō-ō Hanshin Tigers<br />
Fure-fure-fure-fure

Tetsuwan kyōda ikuchitabi<br />
Kitaete koko ni Kōshien<br />
Shōri ni moyuru eikan wa<br />
Kagayaku warera zo Hanshin Tigers<br />
Ō-ō-ō-ō Hanshin Tigers<br />
Fure-fure-fure-fure
| style="padding: 5px; vertical-align: top;" |
''an official English version, not a direct translation''

Dashing swiftly through the wind blowin' from Rokko<br />
Like the big sun soaring in the clear blue sky<br />
Mighty spirit of the youth shows the victor's grace<br />
The name that shines in glory "Hanshin Tigers"<br />
Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Hanshin Tigers<br />
Go, Go, Go, Go!

Powerful hits and skillful pitch achieved a thousand times<br />
Trained with every discipline here at Koshien<br />
Crowned with constant victory glorious, matchless feat<br />
Always proud, invincible "Hanshin Tigers"<br />
Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Hanshin Tigers<br />
Go, Go, Go, Go!
|}

==Regular season records==
{{Main article|List of Hanshin Tigers seasons}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="font-weight:bold; background:#ddd;"
| Season || GP || W || L || T || % || GB|| Finish || Playoffs
|-
| 2016	|| 143 || 64||76||	3	||.457||	24.5 || 4th, Central 
|-	
|2017	||	143 || 78||	61	||4	||.561	||10	||2nd, Central|| Lost Climax Series First Stage (BayStars), 1–2	
|-	
|2018	||	143 || 62	||79||	2	||.440||	20	|| 6th, Central ||Did not qualify	
|-	
|2019	||	143 || 69	||68||	6	||.504	||6	||3rd, Central ||Lost Climax Series Final Stage (Giants), 1–4	
|-	
|2020	||	120 ||60||	53	||7	||.531||	7.5	||2nd, Central || Did not qualify
|-	
|2021	||	143 || 77||	56	||10	||.579	||1	||2nd, Central ||Lost Climax Series First Stage (Giants), 0–2	
|-	
|2022	||	143 || 68||	71	||10	||.579||	12	||3rd, Central || Lost Climax Series Final Stage (Swallows), 0–4	
|-	
|2023	||143 || 85	||53	||5	||.616	||—||1st, Central ||Won Japan Series (Buffaloes), 4–3
|-	
|2024	||143 || 74	||63	||6	||.540||	3.5	||2nd, Central ||Lost Climax Series First Stage (Baystars), 0–2	
|-
|2025||	143 || 85	||54||	4	||.612	||—	|| 1st, Central ||Lost Japan Series (Hawks), 1–4
|}

==List of managers==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!colspan=1 style="{{Baseball primary style|Hanshin Tigers|border=2}};"|Name
!colspan=1 style="{{Baseball primary style|Hanshin Tigers|border=2}};"|Term
!colspan=1 style="{{Baseball primary style|Hanshin Tigers|border=2}};"|Games
!colspan=1 style="{{Baseball primary style|Hanshin Tigers|border=2}};"|W
!colspan=1 style="{{Baseball primary style|Hanshin Tigers|border=2}};"|L
!colspan=1 style="{{Baseball primary style|Hanshin Tigers|border=2}};"|T
!colspan=1 style="{{Baseball primary style|Hanshin Tigers|border=2}};"|Win %
|-
|[[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 (baseball)|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 (baseball)|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 & 2023–2024
|1004
|554
|423
|27
|.567
|-
|[[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]]
|2019–2022
|143
|274
|248
|27
|.525
|-
|[[Kyuji Fujikawa]]
|2025–present
|143
|85	
|54	
|4
|{{winning percentage|85|54}}
|}

==Current roster==
{{Hanshin Tigers roster}}

==Players of note==
===Former players===
{{Div col|colwidth=22em}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Shinjiro Hiyama]] ({{lang|ja|桧山 進次郎}}) – OF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Norihiro Akahoshi]] ({{lang|ja|赤星 憲広}}) – OF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Kenji Johjima]] ({{lang|ja|城島 健司}}) – C}}
* {{player||USA|[[George Altman]] – OF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Sohachi Aniya]] ({{lang|ja|安仁屋 宗八}}) – P}}
* {{player||USA|[[George Arias]] – IF}}
* {{player||USA|[[Scott Atchison]] – P}}
* {{player||USA|[[Gene Bacque]] – P}}
* {{player||USA|[[Randy Bass]] – IF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Kaoru Betto]] ({{lang|ja|別当 薫}}) – OF}}
* {{player||KOR|[[Seung-hwan Oh|Oh Seung-hwan]] ({{lang|ko|吳 昇桓}}) – P}}
* {{player||GER|[[Mike Blowers]] – IF}}
* {{player||USA|[[Jamie Brown (baseball)|Jamie Brown]] – P}}
* {{player||USA|[[Darnell Coles]] – IF, OF}}
* {{player||USA|[[Doug Creek]] – P}}
* {{player||PRI|[[Iván Cruz]] – IF}}
* {{player||USA|[[Glenn Davis (baseball)|Glenn Davis]]}}
* {{player||USA|[[Rob Deer]] – OF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Yutaka Enatsu]] ({{lang|ja|江夏 豊}}) – P}}
* {{player||USA|[[Tom Evans (baseball)|Tom Evans]] – IF}}
* {{player||USA|[[Cecil Fielder]] – IF}}
* {{player||USA|[[Lew Ford]] – OF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Atsushi Fujimoto]] ({{lang|ja|藤本 敦士}}) – IF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Fumio Fujimura]] ({{lang|ja|藤村 富美男}}) – P, IF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Taira Fujita]] – IF}} ({{lang|ja|藤田 平}})
* {{player||USA|[[Rich Gale]] – P}}
* {{player||USA|[[Mike Greenwell]] – OF}}
* {{player||TWN|[[Shosei Go]] ({{lang|zh-TW|呉 昌征}}) – OF}}
* {{player||USA|[[Dave Hansen (baseball)|Dave Hansen]] – IF}}
* {{player||USA|[[Jason Hardtke]] – IF}}
* {{player||USA|[[Phil Hiatt]] – IF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Katsumi Hirosawa]] ({{lang|ja|広澤 克実}}) – IF, OF}}
* {{player||USA|[[Trey Hodges]] – P}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Osamu Hoshino]] ({{lang|ja|星野 修, 星野 おさむ}}) – IF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Nobuyuki Hoshino]] ({{lang|ja|星野 伸之}}) – P}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Makoto Imaoka]] ({{lang|ja|今岡 誠}}) – IF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Kei Igawa]] ({{lang|ja|井川 慶}}) – P}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Atsunori Itoh]] ({{lang|ja|伊藤 敦規}}) – P}}
* {{player||USA|[[Mark Johnson (first baseman)|Mark Johnson]] – IF, OF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Masaru Kageura]] ({{lang|ja|景浦 將}}) – OF, IF, P}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Masayuki Kakefu]]}} ({{lang|ja|掛布 雅之}}) – IF
* {{player||JPN|[[Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi]] ({{lang|ja|下柳 剛}}) – P}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Tsutomu Kameyama]]}} ({{lang|ja|亀山 努, 亀山 つとむ}}) – OF
* {{player||JPN|[[Tomoaki Kanemoto]] ({{lang|ja|金本 知憲}}) – OF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Atsushi Kataoka]] ({{lang|ja|片岡 篤史}}) – IF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Tetsurō Kawajiri|Tetsuro Kawajiri]] ({{lang|ja|川尻 哲郎}}) – P}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Kozo Kawato]] ({{lang|ja|川藤 幸三}}) – PH, OF}}
* {{player||USA|[[Matt Keough]] – P}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Katsuhiko Kido]] ({{lang|ja|木戸 克彦}}) – C}}
* {{player||USA|[[Mike Kinkade]] – IF}}
* {{player||USA|[[Willie Kirkland]] – OF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Masaaki Koyama]] ({{lang|ja|小山 正明}}) – P}}
* {{player||TWN|[[Kuo Lee Chien-Fu]] ({{lang|zh-TW|郭李 建夫}}) – P}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Kojiro Machida]] ({{lang|ja|町田 公二郎}}) – OF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Kenjiro Matsuki]] ({{lang|ja|松木 謙治郎}}) – IF}}
* {{player||USA|[[Darrell May]] – P}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Akinobu Mayumi]] ({{lang|ja|真弓 明信}}) – IF, OF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Susumu Mikoshiba]] ({{lang|ja|御子柴 進}}) – P}}
* {{player||USA|[[Kurt Miller]] – P}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Toyozo Minamimure]] ({{lang|ja|南牟礼 豊蔵}}) – IF, OF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Takao Misonoo]] ({{lang|ja|御園生 崇男}}) – P}}
* {{player||USA|[[Trey Moore]] – P}}
* {{player||DOM|[[Ramón Morel]] – P}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Minoru Murayama]] ({{lang|ja|村山 実}}) – P}}
* {{player||USA|[[Rodney Myers]] – P}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Yutaka Nakamura (baseball)|Yutaka Nakamura]] ({{lang|ja|中村 豊}}) – OF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Kiyooki Nakanishi]] ({{lang|ja|中西 清起}}) – P}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Toshihiro Noguchi]] ({{lang|ja|野口 寿浩}}) – C}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Atsushi Nomi]] ({{lang|ja|能見 篤史}}) – P}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Satoru Nakano (baseball)|Satoru Nakano]] ({{lang|ja|中野 佐資}}) – OF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Akinobu Okada]] ({{lang|ja|岡田 彰布}}) – IF}}
* {{player||USA|[[Tom O'Malley]] – IF}}
* {{player||USA|[[Curtis Olsen]] – P}}
* {{player||AUS|[[Chris Oxspring]] – P}}
* {{player||USA|[[Eduardo Pérez]] – IF}}
* {{player||USA|[[Larry Parrish]] – IF}}
* {{player||USA|[[Alonzo Powell]] – OF}}
* {{player||USA|[[Mike Reinbach]] – OF}}
* {{player||USA|[[Jerrod Riggan]] – P}}
* {{player||DOM|[[Bienvenido Rivera]] – OF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Tsuyoshi Shinjo]] ({{lang|ja|新庄 剛志}}) – OF}}
* {{player||USA|[[Shane Spencer]] – OF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Kento Sugiyama]] ({{lang|ja|杉山 賢人}}) – P}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Koichi Tabuchi]] ({{lang|ja|田淵 幸一}}) – C}}
* {{player||TWN|[[Yasuaki Taiho]] ({{lang|ja|大豊 泰昭}}, {{lang|zh-TW|陳 大豐}}) – IF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Yasushi Tao]] ({{lang|ja|田尾 安志}}) – OF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Shuta Tanaka]] ({{lang|ja|田中 秀太, 秀太}}) – IF}}
* {{player||USA|[[Tony Tarasco]] – OF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Katsunori Tomari]] ({{lang|ja|渡真利 克則}}) – IF, OF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Shoji Toyama (baseball)|Shoji Toyama]] ({{lang|ja|遠山 奬志}}) – P}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Tomochika Tsuboi]] ({{lang|ja|坪井 智哉}}) – OF}}
* {{player||USA|[[Marc Valdes]] – P}}
* {{player||USA|[[Ryan Vogelsong]] – P}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Yutaka Wada]] ({{lang|ja|和田 豊}}) – IF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Tadashi Wakabayashi]] ({{lang|ja|若林 忠志}}) – P}}
* {{player||AUS|[[Jeff Williams (baseball)|Jeff Williams]] – P}}
* {{player||USA|[[Craig Worthington]] – IF}}
* {{player||USA|[[Marvell Wynne (baseball)|Marvell Wynne]] – OF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Keiichi Yabu]] ({{lang|ja|藪 恵壹}}) – P}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Hiroshi Yagi]] ({{lang|ja|八木 裕}}) – IF, OF, PH}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Kazuyuki Yamamoto]] ({{lang|ja|山本 和行}}) – P}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Kazuhiro Yamauchi]] ({{lang|ja|山内 一弘}}) – OF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Akihiro Yano]] ({{lang|ja|矢野 輝弘, 矢野 耀大}}) – C}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Hiroshi Yoshida (Japanese baseball player)|Hiroshi Yoshida]] ({{lang|ja|吉田 浩}}) – OF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Yoshio Yoshida (baseball)|Yoshio Yoshida]] ({{lang|ja|吉田 義男}}) – IF}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Toshiro Yufune]] ({{lang|ja|湯舟 敏郎}}) – P}} 
* {{player||JPN|[[Kōyō Aoyagi]] ({{lang|ja|青柳 晃洋}}) – P}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Kazuyuki Yamamoto]] ({{lang|ja|山本 和行}}) – P}}
* {{player||JPN|[[Kyuji Fujikawa]] ({{lang|ja|藤川 球児}}) – P}} 
* {{player||JPN|[[Takumi Akiyama]] ({{lang|ja|秋山 拓巳}}) – P}}
* {{player||USA|[[Sheldon Neuse]] – OF}}
{{Div col end}}

===Retired numbers===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan=1 style="{{Baseball primary style|Hanshin Tigers|border=2}};"|Number
!colspan=1 style="{{Baseball primary style|Hanshin Tigers|border=2}};"|Player
!colspan=1 style="{{Baseball primary style|Hanshin Tigers|border=2}};"|Position
!colspan=1 style="{{Baseball primary style|Hanshin Tigers|border=2}};"|Tenure
|-
|align="center"|'''10'''
|align="center"|{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Fumio Fujimura]] ({{lang|ja|藤村 富美男}})
|align="center"|[[Infielder|IF]] / [[Pitcher|P]]<br>[[Manager (baseball)|Manager]]
|align="center"|1936–1938, 1943–1956, 1958<br>1946, 1955–1957
|-
|align="center"|'''11'''
|align="center"|{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Minoru Murayama]] ({{lang|ja|村山 実}})
|align="center"|Pitcher<br>Manager
|align="center"|1959–1972<br>1970–1972, 1988–1989
|-
|align="center"|'''23'''
|align="center"|{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Yoshio Yoshida (baseball)|Yoshio Yoshida]] ({{lang|ja|吉田 義男}})
|align="center"|[[Shortstop|SS]]<br>Manager
|align="center"|1953–1969<br>1969, 1975–1977, 1985–1987, 1997–1998
|}

===MLB players===
{{Div col|colwidth=25em}}
* [[Kenji Johjima]] (2006–2009)
* [[Ryan Vogelsong]] (2000–2006, 2011–2017)
* [[Tsuyoshi Shinjo]] (2001–2003)
* [[Keiichi Yabu]] (2005, 2008) 
* [[Masanori Murakami]] (1964–1965)
* [[Cecil Fielder]] (1989)
* [[Glenn Davis (baseball)|Glenn Davis]] (1984–1993)
* [[Chris Oxspring]] (2005)
* [[Kei Igawa]] (2007–2010)
* [[Marvell Wynne (baseball)|Marvell Wynne]] (1983–1990)
* [[Craig Worthington]] (1988–1992, 1995–1996)
* [[Jeff Williams (baseball)|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)
* [[Oh Seung-hwan]] (2016–2019)
* [[Kyuji Fujikawa]] (2013–2015)
* [[Pierce Johnson]] (2020–present)
* [[Robert Suarez]] (2022–present)
* [[Shintaro Fujinami]] (2023–2025)
* [[Koyo Aoyagi]] (2025)
{{Div col end}}

==Media relating to the Tigers==

===Mascots===
{{Nihongo|''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, {{Nihongo||トラ|Tora}}, meaning tiger and {{Nihongo||ラッキー|Rakkii}} meaning lucky. His name therefore means "lucky tiger" in Japanese.

To Lucky's first appearance was on the screen at Hanshin Koshien Stadium in 1985. He appeared as a live-action character in 1987. His design was updated in 1992.

Aside from To Lucky, the other mascots of the Tigers are Lucky ({{lang|ja|ラッキー}} ''Rakkii''), his girlfriend, and the most recent addition, Keeta ({{lang|ja|キー太}}), Lucky's little brother. Keeta's uniform number is 2011, because he was introduced to the Tigers in 2011. He wears a backwards cap. Lucky's cap is pink unlike her boyfriend's and his little brother's.

===Newspapers===
*[[Daily Sports (Japanese newspaper)|Daily Sports]] (published by the [[Kobe Shimbun]], except Hiroshima region)
*[[Nikkan Sports]] (affiliated company of the [[Asahi Shimbun]], Kansai region)
*[[Sankei Sports]] (published by the [[Sankei Shimbun]] Osaka Head Office)
*[[Sports Nippon]] (affiliated company of the [[Mainichi Shimbun]], Kansai region)

===Stations===
Broadcasting:
*[[Mainichi Broadcasting System|Mainichi Broadcasting System, Inc.]]
*[[Asahi Broadcasting Corporation]]
*[[Kansai Telecasting Corporation]]
*[[Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation]]
*[[Television Osaka|Television Osaka, Inc.]]
*[[Sun Television|SUN-TV]]

==See also==
* [[Central League]]
* [[Western League (Japanese baseball)|Western League]]
* [[Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group]] – [[Hanshin Electric Railway]] Co., Ltd.
* [[Tampere Tigers]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://hanshintigers.jp/ Official website] {{in lang|ja}}
* [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=940DE7D61E30F934A15754C0A96E948260 Suicide Spurs Reflections on Japanese Baseball – The New York Times]
* [https://www.thehanshintigers.com/ Appetite for Hanshin – Hanshin Tigers English news website]

{{Hanshin Tigers}}
{{Japanese Professional Baseball}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tigers, Hanshin}}
[[Category:Hanshin Tigers| ]]
[[Category:Baseball teams established in 1935]]
[[Category:Nippon Professional Baseball teams]]
[[Category:1935 establishments in Japan]]
[[Category:Hankyu Hanshin Holdings]]
[[Category:Sports clubs and teams in Hyōgo Prefecture]]
[[Category:Sport in Nishinomiya]]