The Genius Pitcher Dad Throws for His Daughter - Chapter 21

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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 21
#21.
Waaaaaah—!
A handful of Busan Dolphins fans erupted in cheers at Jamsil Baseball Stadium.
Though their voices had grown hoarse from shouting passionately through twelve innings of extra play, and only a few could produce sound properly, their cries were more than enough to shake the entire stadium.
It was the sudden appearance of a rookie pitcher. The roar that erupted was enough to completely sway the hearts of fans who had criticized the Manager—wondering if he’d gone mad or was deliberately crushing the rookie’s spirit by throwing him into the fire.
Against Baek Hak-do, called the league’s finest, I had struck out three batters on nine pitches.
Not only did I fearlessly attack Baek Hak-do’s inside weakness, but I showed no signs of intimidation or pressure in crisis situations—instead, I stood on the Mound with a confident smile, as if genuinely enjoying myself. There was nothing about my performance that disappointed.
Meanwhile, the scoreboard displayed the velocity: 150 km.
The appearance of a left-handed fireballer said to be summoned from hell itself was more than enough to ignite the fans’ passion.
“Kang Ho-jin! Kang Ho-jin!”
Though it was just one out, the fans chanted the pitcher’s name. The rookie’s appearance was perfectly suited for the closer position, which had been unreliable and anxiety-inducing. Despite their hoarse voices, they couldn’t help but scream.
And facing the right-handed batter that followed, Kang Ho-jin showed no hesitation.
Regardless of the batter’s stance, I demonstrated aggressive pitching, attacking the inside consistently.
“Strike!”
With the Umpire’s call, the scoreboard still displayed 150 km, and the fans cheered with delight.
Watching this unfold, Manager Bong Jun-sik called over the Pitching Coach beside him with a composed expression.
“What was his highest velocity in the 2nd Team?”
“He recorded 149 km, according to reports.”
A 1 km increase in velocity.
Though it was merely the number 1 rising, seeing it on the scoreboard was different from hearing it spoken aloud.
While faster velocity was naturally better, Manager Bong Jun-sik’s attention was focused elsewhere.
“A kid with the guts to attack inside without hesitation, throwing fearlessly on the Mound without losing composure… and he’s been stuck in the 2nd Team all this time because of injuries from a bad coach. Unbelievable.”
“If you or I had discovered him from the start, things would’ve been different.”
“That’s what bothers me.”
Manager Bong Jun-sik felt genuine regret.
No matter how I looked at it, he was raw material destined to become a brilliant gem, yet the fact that one person’s mistake had shattered that potential infuriated me as someone in the same profession.
The Pitching Coach, who understood that regret better than anyone, spoke up.
“Let’s polish him properly from here on.”
“That’s the plan.”
In the meantime, Kang Ho-jin threw his second pitch.
A changeup showcasing the left-handed pitcher’s advantage against a right-handed batter drifted outside, and the batter’s bat ‘whooshed’ past it, the ball embedding itself in the Catcher’s glove.
It might have been called a ball if left alone. But the count shifted, and the trajectory grazing the edge of the two-strike boundary was so exquisite it drew gasps of admiration.
Watching the batter swing and miss at the high inside fastball that followed, Manager Bong Jun-sik nodded decisively.
“Compile data on all pitchers who kept it scoreless today and upload it to the Manager’s Office.”
“Should Kang Ho-jin be included?”
Manager Bong Jun-sik nodded.
Based on what I’d just witnessed, Kang Ho-jin would definitely shut them down. When we traveled to Daejeon for an away game, I began contemplating which restaurant to take Kang Ho-jin to.
After watching him face two batters, confidence naturally took root.
* * *
The bases loaded with one out became bases loaded with two outs.
That’s simply how baseball works.
When a pitcher and batter meet for the first time, the advantage belongs to the pitcher.
Moreover, I carried memories from my past life, and I was already familiar with Baek Hak-do whom I’d faced before, the batter I’d just pitched to, and the one stepping into the Batter’s Box next.
All three were opponents I’d encountered during my time in the league, and strangely, their weaknesses and the pitches they struggled to react to surfaced vividly in my mind.
Thanks to that, I’d cleanly recorded three outs with just six pitches, and now only one remained.
“One more to go!”
I turned my back and held up one finger, shouting to my senior teammates.
Though their faces clearly showed exhaustion, they looked at me with eyes brimming with focus—determined to secure this final out with absolute certainty.
Turning back to face Kang Do-bin, I found reassurance in the way he pounded his Catcher’s mitt with his fist, as if saying, “Leave it to me.”
‘Still, I need to be careful.’
The batter stepping up to the plate was the sixth batter—Eom Jun-gi.
A senior with exceptional contact ability and impressive wrist strength. From my memories, he’d played left field for the National Team, and he was so strong that he’d won first place in an arm-wrestling tournament held for fun.
He was the kind of senior who’d send balls that shouldn’t have cleared the fence soaring over the wall with his natural wrist power, breaking opposing pitchers’ mental fortitude.
Yet even such a senior had a clear weakness.
‘Start with the first pitch.’
The first pitch was still a four-seam fastball riding in on his body.
As a left-handed batter, I had to be careful not to hit him, but I possessed the control for that level of precision.
‘With my refreshed shoulder and elbow, if I hit the batter, I’d be an idiot.’
With that thought, I threw a pitch riding in on his body.
‘Huh?!’
The problem was I’d been thinking too much.
The pitch came out as a wild throw, drifting slightly toward center instead of riding in on his body.
Crack—!
The pulled ball shot straight over the foul line toward the First Base stands.
A whistle blared loudly, signaling caution about the foul ball, and fortunately the ball was caught by the netting and fell back onto the Ground.
I was momentarily startled by the line drive that sent chills down my spine, but it was fine.
I’m human too—I throw wild pitches.
The only thing that matters is that the wild pitch doesn’t land on the Ground where no one can catch it, or fly beyond the fence.
‘Rather, I should just think of it as getting one strike.’
With the count now in my favor at one strike, I received a fresh ball and placed it in my glove.
Lower four-seam fastball on the body.
Kang Do-bin was calling for the same pitch as the first one.
But I manipulated the pitch-com to change only the pitch type while keeping the same location.
Gripping the ball and throwing with the same form as much as possible, I released a curveball with a different release point than the four-seam fastball and changeup.
“Huh?!”
The batter flinched slightly.
With good reason—the ball appeared to be heading toward the batter’s head. Moreover, since I’d deliberately thrown from the far left edge of the mound, it was more than enough to create the illusion in the batter’s mind that the ball was coming straight at him.
But the result was only the Umpire’s call.
“Strike! Two!”
The pitch appeared to be heading toward the batter’s body, but the curveball entered the Strike Zone with perfect precision, and the batter’s face twisted in confusion.
Since I’d only thrown a four-seam fastball and a changeup before this, the sudden information about a curveball flooding into his mind produced that reaction.
I’d thrown it once during practice, but hadn’t used it against the previous two batters, so it naturally wasn’t in his mental playbook—and his bewildered expression reflected the pitch’s distinctive trajectory.
If the batter’s mind was already muddled, the next pitch was simple.
“Hah!”
All I had to do was throw the same pitch that had confused him one more time.
This time, instead of appearing to head toward his body, I released it from the center of the Mound, and the ball extended forward honestly before dropping toward Home Plate.
Smack! Crack!
Whoosh—!
The ball plunked down on Home Plate, the batter’s bat swung uselessly through empty air, and Kang Do-bin urgently snatched the ball and brought it to the batter’s backside.
“Out!”
With the Umpire’s declaration, Jamsil Baseball Stadium instantly filled with the roar of our fans and the voices of my seniors pouring out of the Dugout.
“Waaaaaaah!”
After six hours and twenty-three minutes of brutal combat, we finally won.
Though it was a victory marred by wounds, there’s a different atmosphere between winning and losing when both sides have poured everything into it.
As I descended from the Mound, savoring the lingering joy of victory, Kang Do-bin approached me.
“Here. Your first save ball and perfect inning ball.”
“Ah, that’s right. A perfect inning.”
“Huh? You didn’t know?”
“Well, does that really matter? Winning is what’s important.”
“You bastard.”
Kang Do-bin chuckled and handed me the ball, which I caught.
It was a commemorative ball from my first appearance on the Mound since returning to the past.
I’d keep this safe and place it beside my Daughter.
And so, along with my first appearance, another gift had arrived.
“We’ll conduct an interview with the Player of the Game. Kang Ho-jin, please prepare.”
– You have been selected as the Player of the Game.
– You have acquired points.
– This is your first Player of the Game award on the 1st Team stage.
– You have acquired additional points.
Not just one, but two points.
I simply shouted with joy.
“Yes.”
I headed toward the interview area.
* * *
A space for the interview had been prepared.
The Reporter had waited long hours for this brief interview, and feeling a slight flutter in her heart as she watched the final pitcher throw, she finished her careful preparations and stood before the camera.
“Nineteen to eighteen. After achieving the longest game time of six hours and twenty-three minutes in a slugfest between both teams, the Busan Dolphins claimed victory. We now meet with Kang Ho-jin, the player who can be called the hero of that victory and who steadfastly held down the final Mound. Congratulations on being named Player of the Game, Kang Ho-jin.”
“Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Kang Ho-jin of the Busan Dolphins.”
With that, the interview began with simple questions exchanged.
When the Reporter asked if I had been nervous, I answered that while I was indeed nervous, I followed the Manager’s instruction to throw with confidence, and we exchanged questions about how it felt to strike out the final batter.
I then offered my gratitude to the 1st Team and 2nd Team Managers and the Pitching Coach, as well as to my Parents, and finally to my senior teammates who finished the game with me.
“Would you like to say anything final?”
“Ah… is it alright if it’s a bit long?”
The Reporter seemed flustered, but when the Camera Director gave the signal that it was fine, she nodded for me to proceed.
That was when Kang Ho-jin began to speak.
“I have one daughter. When I was young, my mistake left an indelible wound on a woman, and I left, taking only my Daughter with me. It was all my fault. I have never once denied that fact. So I harbored no resentment, and I raised my Daughter bearing that burden as well.”
“That Daughter is suffering greatly now. She lies in a hospital bed, unable to open her eyes for long stretches of time. I was told that the last clear image she remembers of me is of her Father standing on the Mound, throwing a ball. Because it was an image from the 2nd Team stage, I felt even more ashamed. Still, I threw with all my might, hoping that perhaps, even in her dreams, she might see me.”
“Ye-jin, Dad still has so much to learn. But I will endure on the Mound to the very end. When you open your eyes again, I want to hold you without shame. So please sleep just a little longer, and I hope you’ll wake up for me. Let’s go to the Baseball Stadium together, Dad and you. I love you, so very much.”
As Kang Ho-jin finished speaking, the Cheering Section that had been bustling fell silent.
The Reporter, whose eyes had already glistened with tears at his story, found herself weeping without realizing it.
The Camera Director’s urgent gesture to wrap up the interview followed, but she did not even notice.
“Thank you.”
Kang Ho-jin, reading the situation first, offered a final greeting.
Thanks to that, it did not become a broadcast incident.
However, the fans who heard his story could not leave their seats for some time, and some of them lowered their heads, wiping their eyes.
Thus, an interview that no one could applaud came to an end.

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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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