The Curse of the Colonel (, romanisation: ) is a Japanese urban legend that held that the ghost of the KFC founder, Colonel Sanders, placed a curse on the Hanshin Tigers baseball team.
The curse was said to be placed on the team because of the Colonel's anger over treatment of one of his store-front statues,[1] which was thrown into the Dōtonbori River by Hanshin fans before their team's 1985 Central League pennant. As is common with sports curses, the Curse of the Colonel was used to explain the team's failures in subsequent years.[2] Some fans believed the team would never win another Japan Series until the statue was recovered. They appeared in the Japan Series three more times and lost in 2003, 2005 and 2014 before winning in 2023.[3]
Comparisons are often made between the Hanshin Tigers and the Boston Red Sox, who were said to be under the Curse of the Bambino until they won the World Series in 2004.[2] The Curse of the Colonel has also been used as a bogeyman threat to those who would divulge the KFC recipe.[4]
History
1985 Japan Series
The Hanshin Tigers are located in Kansai, the second-largest metropolitan area in Japan. They are considered the underdogs of Nippon Professional Baseball, in opposition to the Yomiuri Giants of Tokyo, who are considered the kings.[5] The fans flock to the stadium no matter how badly the Tigers play.[6]
In 1985, the Hanshin Tigers faced the Seibu Lions and had a surprise first victory in the Japan Series,[6] largely due to the efforts of their star slugger, the American Randy Bass.[2]
See also
- Baseball superstition
- Curse of the Billy Goat – A similar superstition surrounding the Chicago Cubs (American baseball, ended in 2016)
- Curse of the Black Sox – A similar superstition surrounding the Chicago White Sox (American baseball, ended in 2005)
- Curse of Rocky Colavito – A similar superstition surrounding the Cleveland Indians (currently Guardians) (American baseball, ongoing)
- Curse of Coogan's Bluff – A similar superstition surrounding the San Francisco Giants (American baseball, ended in 2010)
- 2025 World Series – A series in which a Colonel Sanders actor sat behind home plate, initially thought by some to be a reference to the Curse of the Colonel
External links
References
- Zack Davisson. Osaka InfoGuide Carter Witt Media, 2006^
- Paul White. The Colonel's curse runs deep USA Today, 2003-08-21, retrieved 2009-05-28^
- Jason Coskrey. Tigers beat Buffaloes in Game 7 to end 38-year Japan Series drought The Japan Times, 5 November 2023, retrieved 2023-11-05^