The Genius Pitcher Dad Throws for His Daughter - Chapter 17

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 17
#17.
My pitching was finished.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
I descended from the Mound with what seemed like a rather composed expression.
‘I’ve given everything I could show right now.’
I could be sufficiently satisfied with my performance.
At the very least, there were no wild pitches—no balls thrown into the dirt, no throws that missed the Catcher’s glove, nothing erratic.
Rather, it was one of those days where everything felt so smooth that even I found it strange.
Perhaps that’s why I seemed almost too composed.
“Why is he so calm?”
“Hey, weren’t you nervous? Both the 1st Team Manager and the 2nd Team Manager were watching.”
“You’ve got nerves of steel.”
“S-senior, aren’t you trembling?”
These were my juniors and peers who had thrown before me.
Their faces displayed every shade of emotion imaginable.
Some, despite having already pitched, still hadn’t shed their tension—their faces were ashen, cold sweat dripping down in rivulets. Others were still gripped by anxiety, their pallid expressions betraying their inner turmoil.
Yet all their faces bore the same marks of regret and disappointment.
‘Because this was the fastest way out of here.’
Today’s opportunity was far from trivial.
It was a chance to fill the gaping holes in the 1st Team roster immediately, and the quickest ticket to leave Sangdong and reach Sajik Baseball Stadium.
But everyone knew.
That today’s single pitching performance would never bring good news.
Especially the rookie junior who threw a ball into the dirt was on the verge of tears, and my peer who threw a pitch so high the Catcher couldn’t catch it had his spirit broken, staring blankly at the sky.
This place was desperate for everyone.
But in terms of that desperation, I was no less than them—if anything, perhaps more.
For my ailing Daughter, I had to earn points, and to earn those points, I needed to climb to the 1st Team as soon as possible.
One might think I could comfortably earn points in the 2nd Team instead. With my current pitching ability, I might easily become a winning pitcher on the 2nd Team stage.
‘But it won’t earn me as much as the 1st Team.’
In the 1st Team, I could pitch every five to six days following the set rotation schedule, but the 2nd Team is different. There are countless other pitchers tempering themselves alongside me, and when everyone receives equal opportunity, no one but the Manager knows what the pitching intervals will be.
Therefore, I also desire this ticket to the 1st Team right now.
While I was thinking such thoughts, the other seniors began taking their turns one by one, and this time Jo Sang-hyuk stepped onto the Mound.
My senior’s primary weapons were a four-seam fastball in the mid-140 km range from his right arm, a two-seam fastball with little difference from the four-seam, and a knucklecurve.
“Oh! Jo Sang-hyuk’s curve is really sharp today!”
At someone’s exclamation, I nodded in agreement.
Originally, Jo Sang-hyuk’s curve wasn’t a knucklecurve but an ordinary curve. However, since its drop wasn’t very pronounced, it frequently caught batters’ bats. But after he started core training with me, he began throwing a knucklecurve without even realizing it, striking out batters.
Next was Jung Ji-hoon.
A right-handed sidearm pitcher with a four-seam fastball and slider as his two-pitch arsenal, but he’s a pitcher who can manipulate that slider’s movement freely both vertically and horizontally. His velocity is in the early 140 km range, and with the Pilates effect, his flexibility increased, naturally improving his deception.
And then Choi Sung-hyuk took the Mound and displayed his signature fiery pitching.
From the mid-140 km range, reaching up to 150 km when in good condition, he showed powerful right-handed pitching. Though his control was slightly lacking, causing some pitches to escape the Strike Zone, this senior’s strength was that regardless of whether pitches were strikes or balls, he threw with full power directly into the Strike Zone. And when he mixed in a changeup, batters could only despair.
The three seniors finished their pitching and came toward me, so I pulled out a towel.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
As I greeted them, the seniors took the towel and wiped away their sweat.
They were drenched in sweat from pitching with careful deliberation and full effort, yet their expressions showed no regret whatsoever.
“Hey, Ho-jin, you worked hard too.”
“I saw earlier—it was incredible. You didn’t even look nervous with the Manager watching.”
“Look at this guy, so fresh and clean. We’d be dying after throwing like that.”
The three seniors livened up the atmosphere with their chatter.
I understood they were being boisterous to dispel the gloomy mood since only two or three more pitchers needed to throw before this was finished.
“Thank you for your hard work!”
Once everyone finished pitching, the pitchers bowed in unison. The 1st Team Manager nodded and waved his hand once, then left the Bullpen with the 2nd Team Manager and the Pitching Coach.
“Phew….”
Someone’s heavy sigh seemed to be the signal, as everyone began breathing heavily.
Though no one knew what the results would be, there was one thing everyone here shared equally.
Growwwl—!
It was lunchtime.
We had been rushing around since morning building our bodies, and then busily cleaning more thoroughly than usual.
On top of being thoroughly nervous and pitching, now that we’d escaped the mental pressure, our survival instincts kicked in immediately.
“Let’s go eat.”
At one senior’s call, we all headed to the Restaurant.
The food tasted exceptional today.
* * *
Afternoon arrived.
With no word yet on who would be called up to the 1st Team, everyone kept glancing down the hallway during training.
“Aren’t you concentrating?!”
“Yes, sir!”
The Coach’s shout seemed to create a focused training atmosphere for a moment, but when it quickly fell apart again, the Coach gave up.
“Do self-directed training.”
With those words, he disappeared, and I switched from team training to self-directed training and sought out Kang Do-bin.
“Senior, shall we analyze together?”
“Why not?”
Tomorrow was the day I was scheduled to start as the pitcher.
Our opponent was the Changwon Griffins.
Since it was called a relatively rival match, tomorrow’s game would be fierce, so I planned to get ahead on opponent analysis.
“Those Griffins guys are troublesome… they’re incredibly skilled.”
“I’ve faced them too.”
At Kang Do-bin’s words, I made a bitter expression.
I don’t have a clear memory of it.
For me, who had returned to the past, this period was also a dark time, and in the early season, I was too preoccupied because Ye-jin kept going in and out of the Hospital. On top of that, I was in pain just before an injury struck.
I held in my hand a record showing that against the Griffins, I gave up 7 hits and 5 stolen bases over 3 and 1/3 innings, allowing 5 runs before being pulled.
‘Tsk… Every time I look at those old records, I’m mortified beyond belief.’
This shame is directed at myself alone.
I could have simply said I was in pain, and if I’d started management or undergone surgery back then, I wouldn’t have suffered such a catastrophic injury or created such a pathetic record.
But there’s nothing I can do about it—this ignorance stemmed from learning only crude and overworked methods, so it’s unavoidable.
I was simply foolish and ignorant.
‘But things are different now.’
Thanks to my completely revitalized shoulder and elbow, I’ve returned to my prime physical condition. With the expertise I gained before returning to the past, I’m undoubtedly stronger than before.
The only problem is that since I returned to the past and gained the system, my growth potential has been capped.
Even if I master new pitches on my own or develop core balance through weight training and Pilates to build strength, my velocity won’t increase—things like that.
‘At least I can still build stamina, which is fortunate.’
Stamina is the only thing I can genuinely develop through effort, but even that growth isn’t particularly noticeable.
In this situation, all I can do is analyze the opposing team’s capabilities and study the tactical matchups needed to strike out their batters.
“Senior, batters one and two—we should go with fastballs primarily. Make it easy for you to keep them in check with your pickoff moves.”
“Four-seam fastballs? Outside?”
“Both are right-handed batters who pull the ball, so it should work well actually.”
“Good. And the cleanup hitter is….”
That’s when my senior and I were enthusiastically exchanging ideas about tomorrow’s game.
“Kang Ho-jin.”
“Yes! I’m here.”
It was the Analyst I’d just met earlier, the one who’d handed me the opposing team’s analysis report.
His face radiated anticipation and excitement as he handed me a new stack of papers and said:
“Tomorrow’s opponent has changed, so please check this.”
Wondering what he meant, I looked at the top sheet of the papers he’d given me, and I couldn’t help but be startled.
[Seoul Dragons Power Analysis]
“Gasp!”
“Oh! Congratulations!”
Even seeing it with my own eyes, I couldn’t believe it.
It was a power analysis report on the Seoul Dragons batters at Jamsil Baseball Stadium tomorrow—not the Changwon Griffins at Sangdong Baseball Stadium.
One thing became crystal clear from this, and Kang Do-bin genuinely congratulated me.
“Just bring your things to Sajik Baseball Stadium by 9 PM this evening. Truly, congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
I responded awkwardly to the Analyst’s congratulations.
Still unable to believe it, I raised my hand, wondering if I should pinch my own arm.
Creak—!
Suddenly the door burst open and familiar faces rushed toward me, immediately embracing me right there.
“Wow! 1st Team! 1st Team!”
“And all four of us at the same time!”
“How long has it been since we made the 1st Team!”
That’s when I realized.
I wasn’t the only one holding the ticket to this express train to the 1st Team—my seniors were coming along with me.
And so we made our way to Sajik Baseball Stadium, where the 1st Team bus awaited us.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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