The Genius Pitcher Dad Throws for His Daughter - Chapter 31

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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 31
#31.
Five Consecutive Victories.
Thanks to the Busan Dolphins’ winning streak, the city’s baseball scene experienced a boom for the first time in a long while.
Despite it being a Tuesday, the taverns remained packed late into the evening. The patrons were there to catch the highlights of today’s game on television.
Naturally, when the early innings were shown, the tavern erupted with noise.
“Ugh! So frustrating!”
“I seriously considered leaving the stadium during that stretch!”
“I’ve already downed ten beers by the fifth inning.”
“You crazy bastard. You ate that and you’re still drinking now?”
“Yeah. I’m crazy, and I’m even crazier for supporting this team.”
“Ha, you got that right.”
Everyone was venting their frustrations without restraint.
The patrons were seething at Choi Jin-ha’s pitching, which had been nearly disastrous through five innings as he struggled to manage the Mound.
The saving grace was that whenever the Griffins scored, the Dolphins immediately answered back, making it a nail-biting contest.
As time passed, Choi Jin-ha was pulled from the game and the Bullpen took over.
“If this were last year, I would’ve turned off the TV already.”
“Hell, even two weeks ago I would have.”
“Yeah, I would’ve left the stadium.”
“Down by one? That’s a loss.”
“I don’t even bother hoping anymore.”
Having suffered through so much, these fans could tell by the fifth inning alone whether to keep watching. They’d been through this countless times—the team would soar only to crash spectacularly. Hope was a luxury they could no longer afford.
But now, they could allow themselves a glimmer of hope.
While not entirely new faces, the pitchers who had been called up to the 1st Team for the first time this season had impressed them.
When Jo Sang-hyuk cleanly retired the side, the patrons raised their glasses in celebration.
“Damn! That’s some solid pitching!”
“He knows how to throw strikes.”
“Pitching aggressively like that keeps them off balance.”
Everyone cheered as he finished with three consecutive outs. Then Jung Ji-hoon came in, and when his slider danced beautifully, the shoulders of those watching swayed with delight.
“Damn! That slider is nasty!”
“It’s just a pleasure to watch!”
“Perfect!”
The way he cleanly shut down two innings was beautiful to behold, and they could feel this was the kind of baseball they’d been longing for.
But the moment that had lifted them from hell to heaven suddenly plunged them back into darkness—much like when they’d overcome last year’s 5% miracle.
The Three Hitters, who had been the Clutch Team’s mainstay, began their arson.
Kim Da-hu, Baek Ji-ha, and Ahn Byung-ho set the field ablaze, and in an instant, the lead narrowed to one run, igniting the fury of those watching.
Dried snacks flew through the air, and the complimentary popcorn scattered in all directions.
If this were any other establishment, the staff would have dreaded the cleanup, but this was Busan—the sacred ground of the Dolphins.
Even as they cleaned up, they participated in the chaos, and watching such a horrifying moment unfold on the highlights, curses spilled from their lips involuntarily.
But peace found them once again.
When Choi Sung-hyuk took the mound with the bases loaded and secured a strikeout and a double play, the tavern erupted with such jubilant cheers that the walls seemed to vibrate.
And finally, when Kang Ho-jin appeared, everyone gazed at him with warm, contented expressions.
“What a good kid!”
“Yeah, he’s good. And his pitches are even better.”
“On top of that, he reflects on his own mistakes and stays devoted to his family.”
“I heard that after the Sunday game, he went straight to see his Daughter and came back.”
“He’s working hard. We should support him.”
“My wife even said it was okay to buy a Kang Ho-jin jersey, so I did.”
“All the dads with daughters are buying one!”
Kang Ho-jin’s story had already spread widely throughout the Baseball Field.
Especially for parents with daughters, it wasn’t someone else’s tale.
Even if a child runs a slight fever, you lose sleep over it, and even at work, your heart remains with your child.
Carrying that weight in his heart, I stood on the Mound, believing my Daughter would wake up.
Perhaps that’s why.
Every time I threw the ball, the eyes in the Stands weren’t focused on the Strike Zone—they were quietly pushing my back.
– Strike! Batter out!
With the Umpire’s call and the sound of victory, everyone in the tavern rose from their seats and applauded.
Curses might have flown in frustration, but with such an entertaining game and a perfect finish, it was a flawless match for Dolphins fans.
And they witnessed it.
In the midst of exchanging the joy of victory, I received the ball from the Catcher and walked toward Choi Jin-ha with it in hand. And the cameras and microphones that followed captured the conversation that ensued.
– Congratulations, Senior Pitcher. This is your first win ball.
The heartwarming sight of me preserving the ball for my senior and Choi Jin-ha receiving it with such care brought tears to everyone’s eyes.
Though they’d cursed during the game, not a single person could watch that touching moment without tears.
As the game concluded, two Sports Commentators spoke on the baseball highlights program.
– The Busan Dolphins have acquired a reliable Clutch Team member.
– Good pitchers have come up from the 2nd Team. We’re looking forward to seeing the Dolphins’ performance going forward.
All the patrons nodded at the positive assessment.
It was a nod born from satisfaction—that a player who had only caused fires had now become a reliable firefighter.
And so Busan’s night burned hot from the first weekday game onward.
* * *
The second game of the three-game weekday series.
Despite being a weekday afternoon, the area around Sajik Baseball Stadium bustled with activity for the first time in a while.
Starting with the elderly woman who sold kimbap, vendors selling food began to set up one by one. Nearby shops prepared for business, delighted by the sudden influx of customers after so long.
From tteokbokki to fried chicken, Sajik Baseball Stadium, now brimming with all manner of food, came alive with energy for the first time in ages.
And there stood Senior Pitcher Kim Se-jin, gazing at the scene with contentment.
“This is the highest attendance of the year, isn’t it? That makes me happy.”
I was slightly taken aback by Senior Pitcher Kim Se-jin’s words.
I understood that today’s attendance exceeded ten thousand. But I was surprised to hear it was the highest of the year.
Especially since fans always filled the Baseball Stadium for the regular season opener, I’d expected the same this year, but it wasn’t so.
A 5% miracle was that magnificent.
The opening game had been the worst in team history, with attendance not even reaching five thousand. Three months into the season, we’d barely crossed ten thousand spectators—that was our start this year.
“Thank you. It’s all thanks to your performances.”
Kim Se-jin gazed at me with genuine gratitude.
Taking in the three Seniors sitting beside me as we waited for the game, he swept his eyes across the Stands once more.
Judging by how he did this even on days without games, as if it were routine, he truly seemed to enjoy looking at those Stands.
Beside such a Senior, I too calmly prepared for the game.
Though “preparation” was really just reviewing the materials the Scouting/Analysis Team had provided, ensuring I could strategize against whoever stepped into the Batter’s Box when I took the Mound.
As I pored over the analysis sheets beside Kim Se-jin, a voice drifted over from nearby.
“Look at the team’s youngest just sitting there…”
“Not helping the Seniors prepare to pitch—what’s he doing?”
“Are all kids these days like that?”
I flinched involuntarily at the voices behind me.
If anyone asked who the youngest player on the team was, the answer was obviously me.
Next came Jo Sang-hyuk, Jung Ji-hoon, and Choi Sung-hyuk, all reviewing materials with me. They were two years older than me, for reference.
The reason we still formed the youngest tier was simply because the Dolphins’ roster was so thin. Veterans dominated, and when they got injured, the backup players weren’t much younger—most were in their late twenties.
“We’ll get moving.”
“What should we help with?”
“Is there anything you need?”
The three Seniors shot up from their seats and turned around to ask.
I stood as well, but the Three Hitters—who’d set Sajik Baseball Stadium ablaze in a different sense yesterday—were staring at us with clear displeasure.
“Tsk, no sense of awareness. You should figure it out yourselves.”
As Kim Da-hu said this, the three Seniors froze solid.
We stood there, just watching, when one of them was about to speak again.
Click.
The moment the Senior Coach appeared at the Dugout entrance, the Seniors who’d been glaring at us began to slink away.
They moved as if avoiding the Senior Coach, positioning themselves before the Bullpen door, then looked at me and spoke.
“Phew… that’s enough.”
Ahn Byung-ho let out a heavy sigh as he said it.
Then he headed straight into the Bullpen.
The space they left behind reeked of strong alcohol.
Judging by how they still reeked of it this afternoon, they must have drunk well into the dawn last night.
“Sigh… looks like they went at it again…”
Kim Se-jin shook his head as if it were routine.
He turned away without concern, as if it were a common occurrence, but his expression grew bitter as his eyes kept darting between the Senior Coach and the Bullpen.
‘These bastards are unbelievable…’
My impression was nothing but displeasure.
What they were doing made no sense whatsoever.
They’d lost their position through lack of skill, yet instead of working hard to reclaim their spot, they spent the night drinking and came to the Stadium to pick fights with us—that was all.
Not a shred of reflection. Watching these Seniors—no, these guys—inconvenience everyone around them just infuriated me.
‘Here I am, clawing my way up from nothing just to grab one chance…’
Not long ago, I myself was desperately clawing my way through the 2nd Team, fighting tooth and nail just to survive.
But what infuriates me is that these few privileged ones—without making any real effort or feeling the slightest remorse toward the fans—simply drown themselves in alcohol to soothe their own egos.
This is all the former General Manager’s doing.
He handed massive contracts to his favored players, forcing us to use them whether we liked it or not, and through constant meddling from the Front Office, truly talented people never got the chance to climb up to the 1st Team.
What’s truly infuriating is that even these pieces of garbage possess talent.
Sometimes they escape crisis situations flawlessly, and on their lucky days, they string together winning streaks—that’s the baseball talent they have.
That’s why they remain in the 1st Team.
‘Fine then, let the Manager deal with it.’
The atmosphere would become somewhat awkward, but I said it anyway because I couldn’t stand seeing a player reeking of alcohol sitting in the Dugout like that.
“Hey, you bastards!”
A loud voice erupted from the Bullpen.
Anyone could tell it was the Manager’s voice, and everyone’s attention snapped toward it.
The Manager was unleashing a barrage of crude curses and nagging at someone, and we simply listened in silence.
“Heh heh. He’s really going at it.”
Only Kim Se-jin, my Senior Pitcher, laughed and savored the moment.
His face bore the expression of someone satisfied, as if a decade-old case of indigestion had finally been relieved.

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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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