A goateed man in a white go well with and black bow-tie stole the highlight behind dwelling plate throughout Game 2 of the World Series, and it wasn’t only for his classic Kentucky Fried Chicken look.
The mysterious fan, dressed like Colonel Harland Sanders himself, was noticed gesturing and playfully heckling members of the Los Angeles Dodgers, notably the group’s Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. His timing and selection of costume instantly sparked on-line hypothesis that his antics have been tied to Japan’s notorious “Curse of the Colonel.”
According to Japanese baseball lore, the so-called curse started in 1985 when followers of the Hanshin Tigers threw a Colonel Sanders statue into Osaka’s Dōtombori Canal after the group’s Japan Series victory. The Tigers quickly endured many years of heartbreak, prompting many to imagine the spirit of the Colonel had hexed the group. The statue was lastly recovered in 2009, however the curse wasn’t thought of damaged till the Tigers captured one other championship in 2023, their first in 38 years.
The Dodgers’ trio of Japanese gamers, all stars of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league, haven’t any connection to the Hanshin Tigers. Still, followers couldn’t assist however join the dots as the “Colonel” appeared immediately behind dwelling plate, inside view of the published cameras, throughout each at-bat by the Dodgers’ Japanese contingent.
The irony didn’t faze Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who pitched a complete-game gem to steer the Dodgers to victory regardless of the obvious try at psychological warfare.