Softbank Hawks 's Naoyuki Uwasawa thrived in his new environment.

Uesawa signed a minor league contract with the Rays through the posting system from Nippon-Ham in the offseason of 2011. He was traded to the Red Sox in a cash deal on the eve of the opening game, and made his major league debut in May, but only pitched in two games.

In the offseason of 2024, he decided to return to Japanese baseball. His new home was Softbank Hawks. At the press conference, he said, "I spent a lot of time worrying about it. I thought about a lot of things, but this is the path I decided on myself, so I hope I can show it through my play and results so that I can say that this was a good decision."

Uesawa's first appearance since the transfer was on March 30th against his nemesis Lotte, where he pitched 6 2/3 innings and allowed only 3 runs. He then pitched 6 runs innings against Seibu Lions on April 6th, closer his first win since the transfer. He continued to rack up wins from the start of the season, and on June 7th against Yakult, he pitched complete game win to earn his fourth win.

runs ERA Rakuten Eagles closer win pitcher In August, he was named MVP for the month with 4 wins and a ERA 1.73 record after pitching 7 runs innings or more in all 4 games he pitched in, and he won 4 games with a QS (6+3 earned runs or less) in August. In September, he pitched 7 inning innings or more in all 4 games he pitched in. In September, he pitched 7 pitch or more in all four games he pitched in, and was a consistent

In his first year with the team, Uesawa pitched 23 games and 144 2/3 innings, posting a record of 12 wins and 6 losses with ERA of 2.74, demonstrating his success with the results he promised at his joining press conference. He made a major contribution to the team's league championship, and is expected to be a part of the starting rotation next season as well.