Tigers fans release balloons during the seventh-inning stretch. (Jiji)

In recent years, the Hanshin Tigers (site is Japanese only) have often occupied last place in Japan's Central League (site is Japanese only), but the team has been doing exceptionally well so far this season, and all of Japan is watching with interest. The Tigers have long had a strong base of enthusiastic fans, but success has been rare; the club finished in the cellar the last four years and has not won a pennant since 1985. They began the 2002 season, though, with a seven-game winning streak and have continued to play good baseball. Some economists are even suggesting that the Tigers' success on the field may translate into an economic boost for Japan by brightening the nation's mood.

Fans Loyal Through Lean Years
The Hanshin Tigers were formed in 1936 in Osaka, marking the team as one of Japan's oldest, and they have a proud tradition. The Yomiuri Giants (site is Japanese only), formed in 1934 in Tokyo as the Great Japan Tokyo Baseball Club, have long been the Tigers' greatest rival. Games between the two teams are almost always sold out and are the focal point of the professional-baseball world in Japan.

The relationship between the two Central League foes has many parallels with the rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox in the American Major Leagues. Like the Yankees, the Yomiuri Giants are based in the nation's largest media market, have a lucrative TV deal, and have been known to spend lavishly to sign free agents. Also like the Yankees, the Yomiuri Giants have long dominated the competition. While the Giants have won 25 pennants and 18 Japan Series since Japanese professional baseball was organized into two leagues in 1950, like the Red Sox, the Hanshin Tigers have struggled in comparison with their rival. Though their fans have remained loyal and passionate, the Tigers have won just three pennants and one Japan Series in the 52 years under the current setup.

Even though the Tigers have long languished in the Central League cellar, Hanshin fans have always continued to support the team. The team's struggles have made it even more endearing to its ardent supporters and makes victory over the Giants all the more exciting when it happens. The Tigers are the talk of the Kansai region these days. Even politicans, business leaders, and university professors begin the day with a discussion of how the Tigers did in the previous night's game.

Tigers Merchandise Enjoying Brisk Sales
As the Tigers have been playing well so far this season, their supporters have been energized, and many other fans who simply dislike the Giants have been jumping on the bandwagon. A wide variety of Tigers-related merchandise has been flying off of shelves this year. Rice balls, beer, and tea imprinted with the Tigers logo have predictably been popular items, and department stores and sporting-goods outlets have reported that sales of related goods are on pace to exceed those of last year by 30-40%. And even in the midst of difficult economic times, Hanshin Department Store, the parent company of the Tigers, is enjoying sales 2% higher than a year ago.

TV stations have long worked from the idea that showing Yomiuri Giants' games leads to good ratings, so games not involving the Tokyo powerhouse are seldom shown on terrestrial broadcasts. This has led a growing number of Hanshin fans to subscribe to satellite TV services that broadcast most Tigers games. Related magazines and books are also selling well, and one American resident of Japan even put out a book titled Eigo de Hanshin Taigasu o oen dekimakka? (Can You Root for the Hanshin Tigers in English?). Many Hanshin Tigers fans speak a dialect particular to the Kansai region, and the book translates their sometimes raucous cheers into English.

Tigers Fever Could Boost Economy
One think tank has predicted a ¥64 billion ($512 million at ¥125 to the dollar) boost in economic production if the Hanshin Tigers win a pennant this year and a ¥160 billion ($1.28 billion) windfall for the economy if the Tigers maintain throughout the season the torrid pace that they began with. The president of another think tank explains, "Even if a different team plays well, the excitement just isn't there. In comparison with the Giants, who are always strong, the Tigers represent Osaka, which had its dominant position in the economy taken away by Tokyo. [Until the sixteenth century, Osaka was the center of commerce.] The fact that the Tigers are playing the Giants well is awakening feelings of anticentralization among people in different regions, something that will lift the spirits of all Japanese."

As of June 2, the Hanshin Tigers were in first place with a record of 30-19-1. The Yomiuri Giants were in second place with a record of 30-22-0. Baseball fans across the country are excited as the pennant race between the two rivals looks set to heat up this summer.