Yakult Swallows first baseman Seiichi Uchikawa, one of only two players to have led both leagues of Japanese baseball in batting average, said Wednesday he will retire at the end of the season. Uchikawa played a key role in the Ichiro Suzuki-led 2009 World Baseball Classic-winning Japan team after winning the Central League batting title in 2008 with a .378 average for the then Yokohama BayStars, the highest ever by a right-handed hitter. After spending 10 years with the BayStars, Uchikawa hit .338 for the SoftBank Hawks in 2011, his first season in the Pacific League, making him the first pla...
