Curse of the Colonel 2005 and 2014. Comparisons are often made between the Hanshin Tigers and the Boston Red Sox, who were said to be under the Curse of the Bambino until they won the World Series in 2004. The "Curse of the Colonel" has also been used as a bogeyman threat to those who would divulge the secret recipe of eleven herbs and spices that result in the unique taste of his chicken. The Hanshin Tigers are located in Kansai, the second largest metropolitan area in Japan. They are considered the eternal underdogs of Nippon Professional Baseball, in opposition to the Yomiuri Giants
Team Curse attempt qualification through the Offline Qualifiers, with several of the team saying they would consider retirement should they failed to qualify. Team Curse progressed through each stage without losing a single game, and so secured a spot in the inaugural Spring Split of the NA LCS, beginning 27 February 2013. Team Curse ended the regular season in second place with a record of 19-9, behind Team SoloMid, and so secured a bye into the semifinals of the Spring Split Playoffs. Despite this, they lost both their semifinal match and the third place match, to Good Game University and Team Vulcun