A goateed man in a white suit and black bow-tie stole the spotlight behind home plate during Game 2 of the World Series, and it wasn’t just for his vintage Kentucky Fried Chicken look.
The mysterious fan, dressed like Colonel Harland Sanders himself, was spotted gesturing and playfully heckling members of the Los Angeles Dodgers, particularly the team’s Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. His timing and choice of costume immediately sparked online speculation that his antics were tied to Japan’s infamous “Curse of the Colonel.”
According to Japanese baseball lore, the so-called curse began in 1985 when fans of the Hanshin Tigers threw a Colonel Sanders statue into Osaka’s Dōtombori Canal after the team’s Japan Series victory. The Tigers soon endured decades of heartbreak, prompting many to believe the spirit of the Colonel had hexed the team. The statue was finally recovered in 2009, but the curse wasn’t considered broken until the Tigers captured another championship in 2023, their first in 38 years.
The Dodgers’ trio of Japanese players, all stars of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league, have no connection to the Hanshin Tigers. Still, fans couldn’t help but connect the dots as the “Colonel” appeared directly behind home plate, within view of the broadcast cameras, during every at-bat by the Dodgers’ Japanese contingent.
The irony didn’t faze Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who pitched a complete-game gem to lead the Dodgers to victory despite the apparent attempt at psychological warfare.