1300 Police Officers Breached as Fans of Japan's Hanshin Excitedly Jump into River After First Championship in 38 Years

Hanshin Defeats Orix to Win Japan Series Title for the First Time in 38 Years

The Hanshin Tigers, a professional baseball team based in the Kansai region of Japan, won the Japan Series for the first time in 38 years, causing excited fans to repeatedly jump into the Dotonbori River. To ensure their safety, about 1,300 police officers were deployed, and no injuries were reported.

A Hanshin Tigers fan is jumping into the Dotonbori River in celebration as the Hanshin Tigers won the Japan Series on the 5th for the first time in 38 years.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to Japan's NHK and others on the 6th, from the day before the Hanshin Tigers secured their victory until that day, 37 people were counted jumping into the Dotonbori River, the largest entertainment district in Osaka. They followed tradition by entering the river after the Hanshin Tigers defeated the Orix Buffaloes 7-1 in Game 7 of the 2023 NPB Japan Series held at Osaka Kyocera Dome the previous day, winning the series 4 games to 3. The Hanshin Tigers lifted the championship trophy for the second time in 38 years since their first championship in 1985.

The Hanshin Tigers are known to have the most passionate fans among the 12 teams in Japanese professional baseball. Especially, the Hanshin Tigers' fans are famous for their ceremony of flocking to Dotonbori and jumping into the river when the team wins the championship.

However, no injuries were reported. During this period, about 1,300 police officers were deployed around the Dotonbori River area.

Hanshin Tigers fans are celebrating their victory together in downtown Osaka after the team won the Japan Series on the 5th for the first time in 38 years.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, when the Hanshin Tigers won the Japan Series in 1985, fans, overwhelmed with joy, threw a statue of KFC's "Colonel Sanders" into the Dotonbori River. However, after failing to win the Central League for 17 years until 2002, the phrase "Curse of Sanders" emerged. Later, when they won the Central League in 2003, about 5,300 people jumped into the river, during which one person died in an accident.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.