Osaka, Japan — <bf>
The Curse of the Colonel is finally over.
The Hanshin Tigers defeated the Hiroshima Carp 3-2 on Monday to clinch their first Central League pennant in 18 years.
The Tigers did it in dramatic style, defeating the Carp when outfielder Norihiro Akahoshi hit a bases-loaded single to right in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift Hanshin to victory at Koshien Stadium.
Hanshin's win, combined with the Yokohama BayStars' 12-6 victory over the second place Yakult Swallows, clinched the pennant for the Tigers.
"Our fans have waited so long for this day to come," said Akahoshi. "I'm glad we could do it right here at home. It's a great feeling for everybody on the team."
Hanshin players ran onto the field to mob Akahoshi but had to await the outcome of the game between Yakult and Yokohama at Yokohama Stadium.
When news of Yokohama's win over Yakult came in hours later, Osaka erupted with boisterous celebrations.
The last time the Tigers won the Japan Series in 1985, overzealous fans threw a statue of Colonel Sanders stolen from a KFC restaurant into the murky waters of the Dotonbori River in downtown Osaka.
Jumping into the river when the team wins is a local ritual and the Colonel was tossed in as a substitute for American Randy Bass, who belted 54 homers that season for the Tigers. The statue was never found and Hanshin fans have since attributed the team's dry spell to the Curse of the Colonel.
The Tigers haven't won a Japan Series yet but Monday's win lifted a huge weight off the players and their die-hard fans.
"It's an amazing experience," said Hanshin fan Yukiko Nakamura, who joined in the celebrations next to the river. "I never thought this day would come."
Few gave the Tigers much of a chance in spring training. Just about everyone called for their demise during the season but it never happened.
After opening up a commanding 14½-game lead at the all-star break, the Tigers widened their lead to as much as 17 games in late July.
They struggled to a 4-11 record during a three-week road trip in August but any fear that this was the much-anticipated summer swoon were quickly put to rest when the team returned home in the last week of August and put together an extended winning streak.
As a reminder of their troubled past, the Tigers lost five out of six games before Monday's win.
Since 1985, Hanshin has placed last 10 times, fifth in two seasons and fourth three times in the six-team Central League.
What made this pennant-winning season all the more enjoyable to Tiger fans was that it was achieved at the expense of the defending Japan Series champion Yomiuri Giants, Japan's most popular team and Hanshin's historical rival.
In the absence of Hideki Matsui, who signed with the New York Yankees in the offseason, Yomiuri was exposed as an aging lacklustre outfit in need of a major overhaul.
Unlike the free-spending Giants, the Tigers patiently built their championship team from the ground up.
Of the regular starters this season, only outfielder Tomoaki Kanemoto played for a different team last season.
Among their starting nine, Akahoshi best represents Hanshin's scrappy, in-your-face style.
Akahoshi, 27, has provided the spark for Hanshin's offence all season. His 55 stolen bases are by far the most in the league and along with infielder Makoto Imaoka and catcher Akihiro Yano, the three have led the Central League in batting for much of the season.
Former San Diego Padres infielder George Arias, meanwhile, has put together his best season in Japan and with 34 homers is tied for the league lead with Tyrone Woods of the BayStars.
The victory was also sweet revenge for manager Senichi Hoshino, who has made a career out of beating the Giants.
Hoshino was on the mound as a pitcher for the Chunichi Dragons in 1974 when his team put an end to the Giants' streak of nine straight Japan Series titles.
"It's a thrill to clinch the pennant here before our home fans," said Hoshino. "But I want to thank the Hanshin fans in Nagoya, Tokyo and throughout Japan."
If the Tigers have a weak point heading into the Oct. 18-26 Japan Series, it could be their starting pitching.
While they had the best staff over the first half of the season, Hanshin's starters have struggled of late. Former New York Yankee and Montreal Expo pitcher Hideki Irabu, who had a no-decision in Monday's win, had his worst outing of the season a week ago when he gave up eight runs over 4-2/3 innings.
Left-hander Kei Igawa (16-5, 2.90 ERA) has been the team's most consistent starter while former Nippon Ham Fighters pitcher Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi and rookie Tomoyuki Kubota have also had solid seasons.
But any worries over the state of their starting staff will be blurred by wild celebrations that kicked off Monday.
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