Hanshin Tigers

The Hanshin Tigers (阪神タイガース, Hanshin Taigāsu?) are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly. The team's circular logo is very similar to the classic Detroit Tigers logo, except that the tiger in the Major League version is orange whereas Hanshin's is yellow. The Tigers' cap logo is very similar to that of the New York Yankees and they often wear similar pinstriped uniforms.

Though they are the sister team of the American baseball team Detroit Tigers, they are frequently compared to the Boston Red Sox. The Tigers' rivalry with the Yomiuri Giants of Tokyo parallels the rivalry between the Red Sox and the New York Yankees. At one time both teams shared the title of "cursed"; leading to the Tigers' nickname of "Hard-Luck Hanshin." This idea is explored in Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan's 2004 book Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season where the Tigers are often portrayed as the Japanese Red Sox.