The Hanshin Tigers are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, next to their main stadium, Hanshin Koshien Stadium. They began play in 1935 as the Osaka Tigers in the Japanese Baseball League, later rebranding to Hanshin Club and then back to Osaka. In their time in the JBL, they won four league pennants. The team adopted their current name in 1960.
The Tigers are owned by Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc.
The Tigers have won the Japan Series two times (1985, 2023), tenth most among all current twelve NPB teams. They have won the Central League pennant seven times, most recently in 2025. Since the Climax Series era began for the Central League in 2007, the Tigers have appeared in the playoffs 13 times.https://npb.jp/bis/teams/yearly_t.html
Table key + Key to symbols and terms in season tableWNumber of regular season winsLNumber of regular season lossesTNumber of regular season tiesGBGames behind from league's first-place teamROYRookie of the YearMVPCentral League Most Valuable Player AwardESAEiji Sawamura AwardMSAMatsutaro Shoriki AwardSeries MVPJapan Series Most Valuable Player Award
Season-by-season records Japan Series Champions(1950–present) †Japanese Baseball League / Central League Pennant(1938–1949, 1950–present)Central League Regular Season Champions(1950–present) ^Climax Series Berth(2004–present) ¤ Season LeagueFinishWinsLossesTiesWin%GBPlayoffsAwardsOsaka Tigers1936JBL 960.600 1936 FallJBL1st 2461.800 Lost Playoff (Giants) 2–1 1937 SpringJBL2nd41141.745 0.5 1937 FallJBL 1st3991.813 — 1938 SpringJBL1st2960.829 — 1938 FallJBL2nd27130.6753.5 1939JBL2nd63303.6773.5 Hanshin Club1940JBL2nd64373.63410.5 1941JBL5th41430.48821 1942JBL3rd 52485.52021 1943JBL 3rd 41367.53211 1944JBL 1st2762.818 — 1946 JBL 3rd59460.5627 Tadashi Wakabayashi (MVP)Osaka Tigers1947 JBL 1st 79373.681 — 1948JBL 3rd 70664.51517 Tadashi Wakabayashi (MVP)1949 JBL 6th 65693.48520.5 Fumio Fujimura (MVP)1950Central 4th70673.51130 1951Central 3rd 61523.54020.5 1952Central2nd 79401.6643.5 1953Central2nd 74560.56916 1954Central3rd 71572.55516 1955Central3rd 71572.55520.5 1956Central2nd 79501.6124.5 1957Central2nd73543.5731 1958 Central2nd 72580.5545.5 1959 Central2nd 62599.51213 Minoru Murayama (ESA)1960Central3rd 64624.5086 Hanshin Tigers1961Central4th 60673.47312.5 1962Central1st 75553.577— Lost Japan Series (Flyers) 4–2–1 Minoru Murayama (MVP)Masaaki Koyama (ESA)1963Central 3rd 69701.49614.5 1964Central1st 80564.588— Lost Japan Series (Hawks) 4–3Gene Bacque (ESA1965Central 3rd 71663.51819.5 Minoru Murayama (ESA)1966Central 3rd 64665.49225 Minoru Murayama (ESA)1967Central 3rd 70606.53814 1968Central 2nd 72583.5545 Yutaka Enatsu (ESA)1969Central2nd68593.5356.5 Kōichi Tabuchi (ROY)1970 Central 2nd 77494.6112 1971 Central 5th 57649.47112.5 1972Central 2nd71563.5593.5 1973Central2nd64597.5200.5 1974Central4th 57649.47114 1975Central 3rd68557.5596 1976 Central2nd 724513.6152 1977Central4th556312.46621 1978Central6th 41809.33930.5 1979Central4th61609.5048 Shigeru Kobayashi (ESA)1980Central5th 546610.45020.5 Akinobu Okada (ROY)1981Central3rd67585.5368 1982Central3rd 65578.5334.5 1983Central4th62635.49611.5 1984Central4th53698.43423 1985Central 1st 74497.602 — Won Japan Series (Lions) 4–2 Randy Bass (MVP)Randy Bass (Series MVP)Yoshio Yoshida (MSA)1986 Central3rd 606010.50013.5 1987Central6th 41836.33137.5 1988Central6th 51772.39829.5 1989Central5th54751.41930.5 1990Central6th52780.40036 1991Central6th48820.36926 1992Central2nd 67632.5152 Teruyoshi Kuji (ROY)1993Central4th 63672.48517 1994Central4th 62680.4778 Keiichi Yabu (ROY)1995Central6th46840.35436 1996Central6th 54760.41523 1997Central5th 62731.45921 1998Central 6th52830.38527 1999Central 6th55800.40726 2000Central 6th57781.42221 2001Central 6th57803.41620.5 Norihiro Akahoshi (ROY)2002Central 4th 66704.48519 2003 Central 1st 87512.630— Lost Japan Series (Hawks) 4–3 Kei Igawa (MVP)Kei Igawa (ESA)Senichi Hoshino (MSA)2004Central4th66702.48513 2005Central1st 87545.617— Lost Japan Series (Marines) 4–0Tomoaki Kanemoto (MVP)2006Central2nd84584.5923.5 2007Central3rd74664.5294.5 Lost Climax Series First Stage (Dragons) 2–0 Keiji Uezono (ROY)2008Central2nd82593.5822 Lost Climax Series First Stage (Dragons) 2–1 2009Central4th 67734.47924.5 2010Central2nd 78633.5531 Lost Climax Series First Stage (Giants) 2–0 2011Central4th 68706.4939 2012Central5th 557514.42331.5 2013Central2nd 73674.52112.5 Lost Climax Series First Stage (Carp) 2–0 2014Central2nd 75681.5247Won Climax Series First Stage (Carp) 1–0Won Climax Series Final Stage (Giants) 4–1Lost Japan Series (Hawks) 4–1 2015Central3rd 70712.4966 Lost Climax Series First Stage (Giants) 2–12016Central4th 64763.45724.5 2017 Central 2nd 78614.56110Lost Climax Series First Stage (BayStars) 2–1Shun Takayama (ROY)2018 Central 6th 62792.44020 2019 Central 3rd 69686.5046 Won Climax Series First Stage (BayStars) 2–1Lost Climax Series Final Stage (Giants) 4–12020 Central 2nd 60 53 7.531 7.5 2021 Central2nd775610.5791Lost Climax Series First Stage (Giants) 2–02022 Central3rd687110.57912Won Climax Series First Stage (BayStars) 2–1Lost Climax Series Final Stage (Swallows) 4–02023Central1st85535.616— Won Climax Series Final Stage (Carp) 4–0Won Japan Series (Buffaloes) 4–3 Shoki Murakami (MVP)Shoki Murakami (ROY)Kōji Chikamoto (Series MVP)Akinobu Okada (MSA)2024Central2nd74636.5403.5 Lost Climax Series First Stage (Baystars) 2–0 2025 Central 1st 85 54 4 .612 — Won Climax Series Final Stage (BayStars) 4–0Lost Japan Series (Hawks) 4–1 Teruaki Satō (MVP)
References
Notes This is determined by calculating the difference in wins plus the difference in losses divided by two. Records for 1936 seasons are incomplete. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Central League decided to send the regular season champion to the Japan Series directly with no Climax Series playoff.