Seiichi_Uchikawa Knowpia

Seiichi Uchikawa
Seiichi Uchikawa
	Uchikawa with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
	First baseman, Outfielder
	Born: August 4, 1982 (age 41); Ōita, Japan
	Batted: Right Threw: Right
NPB debut
	March 30, 2001, for the Yokohama BayStars
Last NPB appearance
	October 3, 2022, for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows
Career statistics
Batting average	.302
Home runs	196
Hits	2,186
RBI	960
Teams
	Yokohama BayStars (2001–2010); Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (2011–2020); Tokyo Yakult Swallows (2021–2022); Oita B-rings (2023);
Career highlights and awards
	6× NPB All-Star (2008, 2009, 2011–2013, 2017); 8× Japan Series champion (2011, 2014, 2015, 2017–2021); 3× Climax Series MVP (2011, 2015, 2017); 5× Best Nine Award (2008–2009, 2011–2013); 2× NPB All-Star Game MVP (2013, 2017); Pacific League MVP (2011); Japan Series MVP (2014); Interleague play (NPB) MVP (2011); Central League Batting champion (2008); Pacific League Batting champion (2011); Central League OBP champion (2008); Central League Hits champion (2008); Pacific League Hits champion (2012);
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing Japan
World Baseball Classic

Seiichi Uchikawa (内川聖一, Uchikawa Seiichi, born August 4, 1982) is a Japanese former professional baseball first baseman and outfielder. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yokohama BayStars, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, and Tokyo Yakult Swallows from 2001 to 2022.

Career edit

Yokohama BayStars edit

Yokohama BayStars selected Uchikawa with the first selection in the 2000 NPB draft [jp].

On March 30, 2001, Uchikawa made his NPB debut.

He rose to prominence in 2008 with a league-leading .378 batting average.

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks edit

During the 2010 offseason, he exercised his free agent option and after weeks of negotiations between the Yokohama BayStars, Hiroshima Toyo Carp, and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, he decided to sign a four-year deal with SoftBank worth up to 1.36 billion yen.

On December 2, 2020, he became a free agent.^[1]

Tokyo Yakult Swallows edit

On December 11, 2020, Uchikawa signed with Tokyo Yakult Swallows of NPB and held press conference.^[2]

On September 27, 2022, Uchikawa announced his retirement from professional baseball.^[3]

International career edit

He was selected for the Japanese national baseball team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, 2013 World Baseball Classic and 2017 World Baseball Classic.

References edit

^ "2020年度自由契約選手". NPB.jp 日本野球機構 (in Japanese). Retrieved January 10, 2021.
^ "内川聖一選手が正式契約！「チームの勝利に貢献できるように頑張りたい」". 東京ヤクルトスワローズ公式サイト Tokyo Yakult Swallows (in Japanese). December 11, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
^ "Baseball: Uchikawa, once hitting machine, announces retirement". nippon.com. Retrieved June 21, 2023.