For a long time, Seiichi Uchikawa had helped the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks be championship contenders and win championships with his phenomenal hitting skills and leadership.

But this year, the future Hall of Famer thinks that it was his teammates who took him to the biggest stage of Nippon Professional Baseball — the Japan Series.

Uchikawa, who reached the 2,000-hit plateau in May, played in just 71 games during the regular season. The 36-year-old had been sidelined since mid-August due to an illness and a right shoulder injury before he returned to the team for the Climax Series Final Stage against the Seibu Lions.