is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

and

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

. He played in

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

(NPB) for the

Yokohama BayStars The are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Their home field is Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The team has been known by several names since becoming a professional team in 1950. It adopted its current ...

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League. Founded on February 22, 1938, as the Nankai Club, being the first Kansai t ...

, and

Tokyo Yakult Swallows The Tokyo Yakult Swallows () are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams in Tokyo, the other being the Yomiuri G ...

from 2001 to 2022.

Career

Yokohama BayStars

selected Uchikawa with the first selection in the . 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

During the 2010 offseason, he exercised his free agent option and after weeks of negotiations between the

Hiroshima Toyo Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda ...

, and

, 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.

Tokyo Yakult Swallows

On December 11, 2020, Uchikawa signed with

of NPB and held press conference. On September 27, 2022, Uchikawa announced his retirement from professional baseball.

International career

He was selected for the

Japanese national baseball team The , also known as , is the National sports team, national team representing Japan in international baseball competitions. It won the World Baseball Classic in 2006 World Baseball Classic, 2006, 2009 World Baseball Classic, 2009, and 2023 World ...

in the

2009 World Baseball Classic The 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an International Baseball Federation, international baseball competition. It began on March 5 and finished March 23. Unlike in 2006 World Baseball Classic, 2006, when the Round-robin tournament, round- ...

2013 World Baseball Classic The 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, held from March 2 to 19, 2013. This was the third iteration of the WBC, following the two previous tournaments, held in 2006 and 2009. Unlike the tw ...

and

2017 World Baseball Classic The 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, composed of 16 competing nations, held from March 6 to 22, 2017. It was the fourth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. The first-round hosts wer ...

References

External links

* 1982 births Living people Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks players Japanese baseball players National baseball team players Nippon Professional Baseball infielders Nippon Professional Baseball MVP Award winners Nippon Professional Baseball outfielders Sportspeople from Ōita (city) Tokyo Yakult Swallows players Yokohama BayStars players 2009 World Baseball Classic players 2013 World Baseball Classic players 2017 World Baseball Classic players World Baseball Classic players of Japan {{japan-baseball-outfielder-stub