The Genius Pitcher Dad Throws for His Daughter - Chapter 32

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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 32
#32.
“….”
The atmosphere in the Dugout was grave.
Not a single person was having a proper conversation.
Whenever discussion was necessary, players stepped outside the Dugout to talk, and some even ventured into the corridor before returning.
Throughout all this, no one approached the door leading to the Bullpen.
Rather, they couldn’t.
The Senior Coach stood blocking the entrance, while three men inside were running themselves to exhaustion.
“Gasp! Gasp!”
“Hack! Hack!”
“Wheeze! Retch!”
Ghastly sounds echoed out.
Every player in the Dugout either grimaced or turned away as if they hadn’t heard anything. Several even gagged.
The visceral sound of someone violently vomiting made everyone wince.
“Have them clean it up themselves.”
“Yes, sir!”
At Manager Bong Jun-sik’s command, the Pitching Coach bolted toward the Bullpen.
The moment the door cracked open, a foul stench seeped into the Dugout.
“Ugh!”
Several players launched themselves out of the Dugout.
They all fled to the Ground or the corridor, breathing in the fresh air as if they’d been saved.
Yet it was a suffering that couldn’t be easily shaken off, and when everyone had emerged outside, Sajik Baseball Stadium began to roar.
Roooaaarrr—!
The Busan Dolphins were on a winning streak.
Despite it being a Wednesday, many fans had flocked to the Baseball Stadium, and the atmosphere was thick with heat and energy.
The crowd was truly blazing with fervent passion.
* * *
Manager Kim Eung-bin of the Changwon Griffins hadn’t slept.
The reason was none other than yesterday’s game.
‘Manager Bong, I didn’t think you were that kind of person….’
Manager Kim Eung-bin knew well.
He and Manager Bong Jun-sik were similar—both believed in faith-based baseball and adhered to a style where once a position was set, it wouldn’t be changed unless there was a serious injury or player incident.
But Manager Bong Jun-sik had changed.
‘Today as well… you’re defying my expectations….’
Manager Kim Eung-bin’s gaze was fixed on the scoreboard.
Changwon 1 1 1 1 2
Busan 2 0 2 2 1
Through five innings, both teams had accumulated solid runs.
Since both teams were expected to send up their fifth starters, a slugfest had been anticipated, and the game was indeed unfolding as a hitting battle.
The Griffins’ signature small-ball offense turned the pitcher into a rag doll.
Hits came steadily every inning, and they methodically built runs through bunts and stolen bases.
The Dolphins proved why they were a powerhouse lineup.
Most runs came from home runs or extra-base hits. Every time they scored, a home run flew out, and the pitcher’s head dropped lower each time.
‘Damn… I feel like I’ve just crushed the kid’s confidence.’
The Changwon Griffins were also in a heated competition for the fifth starter position.
The pitcher who took the mound today was one Manager Kim Eung-bin had been nurturing since Spring Camp, carefully grooming him, but today’s game left him looking completely shattered in spirit.
There was something strange about it—every time we faced the Dolphins, things seemed to go wrong.
Crack!
The pitcher warming up in the Bullpen gave up a home run the moment he entered the game.
As if that were just the beginning, line drives kept sailing over the fence, and eventually Manager Kim Eung-bin threw in the towel.
He pulled all the starters and filled the roster with bench players.
Final score: 6 to 16.
That’s how we lost the second game.
“Ugh… something feels off about this…”
Manager Kim Eung-bin’s unease didn’t settle easily.
The next day.
‘Damn it!’
Manager Kim Eung-bin’s anxiety proved justified.
A duel between the ace starters—two foreign mercenaries who were aces.
Both starting pitchers proved why they were aces.
Seven innings, no runs.
Despite allowing hits and walks, neither gave up a single run and left the mound.
Now the remaining two innings would determine who could score and who could hold the line. Unlike the Griffins, who gave up a home run immediately upon entering, the Dolphins used three pitchers just to get through one inning, and Kang Ho-jin took the mound for the save.
“Swing! Batter out!”
“Strike! Batter out!”
“Out!”
Seven pitches.
The Dolphins finished the game with two strikeouts and an infield groundout.
Manager Kim Eung-bin, who watched it all unfold, muttered without realizing the camera was on him.
“In all my years, I’ve never seen the Dolphins’ Bullpen this strong…”
With that high praise from the opposing team, the three-game series came to an end.
* * *
Seven consecutive victories.
Thanks to that, the team’s morale was excellent.
“How long has it been since we had a winning streak like this?”
“And it’s our best streak of the season.”
“The ball looked as big as a watermelon out there.”
“And we didn’t have any defensive errors either, right?”
“This is the momentum of a winning streak.”
The Senior Pitchers are bustling about, preparing to head home one by one.
“Want to grab a drink tonight?”
At someone’s casual suggestion, the lively atmosphere instantly evaporated.
Everyone’s faces showed they were craving alcohol, but their eyes drifted in one direction.
None other than the Three Hitters, who had been made to run laps by the Manager the previous day because of the smell of alcohol on them, and who were now on their second day of resembling well-dried squid as they sweated out every trace of liquor from their bodies.
And just then, the Senior Coach arrived and said something.
“You’re riding high on this winning streak, so if you’re going to drink, drink in moderation. I’m not saying don’t drink. Drink in moderation. By the way, that’s what the Manager said.”
Everyone nodded at those words.
Because they had witnessed firsthand what happens when you don’t drink in moderation.
So instead of forming a drinking group, the conversation shifted to everyone heading home and drinking moderately there, with plans to see each other tomorrow.
“Besides, if our performance stays solid through the weekend, the Manager said he’d arrange a team dinner, so let’s push a little harder.”
At the mention of an officially scheduled team dinner, everyone’s eyes lit up.
Drinking on your own dime is one thing, but drinking on someone else’s dime is another.
This was irresistible.
“Damn, I need to get home.”
“Who cares about drinking now?”
“Who drinks during the week? We can drink after Sunday ends.”
“It tastes better when you drink before your day off.”
“Alright everyone, let’s head out.”
In an instant, everyone rushed off toward home.
I climbed onto the bus heading to the Dormitory alongside the Senior Pitchers.
Upon arriving at the Dormitory, what greeted me was none other than the Scouting/Analysis Team.
“Kang Ho-jin, here are the materials you requested.”
I received a hefty stack of documents.
The volume was substantial enough to strain my arms carrying it, when a curious voice came from beside me.
“What’s that?”
“Oh, Choi Sung-hyuk. It’s the scouting analysis for the Incheon Serpents, our opponent for the three-game series starting tomorrow.”
“Really? There’s this much?”
“Well, Kang Ho-jin requested all the data from the past three years.”
Then he looked at me with eyes full of admiration and reverence.
Typically, scouting reports are brief and concise.
Since analysis happens throughout the season, they usually just provide updated sections from existing data, or unless specifically requested, the content isn’t particularly complex.
But I had requested all the data from the past three years.
Not just data starting from this year, but existing historical data as well. Even the smallest details help when analyzed, so I study everything.
This is a habit and style from before I returned to the past—when I was striving to become a player my Daughter wouldn’t be ashamed of as a baseball player.
“Wow… you’re something else….”
Senior Pitcher Choi Sung-hyuk looked at me like I was some kind of alien, his expression one of exhaustion.
Then he casually removed half the stack.
“Will you teach me the method?”
Sincerity was etched across the Senior’s face.
No, to be precise—I saw passion.
Over the past few outings, Choi Sung-hyuk seemed to have gained confidence. On top of that, I’d been notified that if I transitioned to starting, he would take over as the closer.
Perhaps because of this, he’d been training harder lately and asking Kim Se-jin all sorts of questions, studying in his own way.
Recalling my senior’s earnest efforts, I nodded in agreement.
“That sounds good. But let me say one thing.”
“What’s that?”
I spoke seriously, meeting his gaze.
“Once you start, you see it through until the season ends.”
Choi Sung-hyuk took a step back, looking slightly intimidated by my words.
But then he nodded, as if he’d made his decision.
“Fine. If you want to survive, you need that kind of resolve.”
Impressed by his determination, I headed to my room with Choi Sung-hyuk.
And exactly two hours later.
After subjecting him to Spartan-style instruction designed to drill everything into his mind, my senior sent out a distress call.
“P-please… save me…”
“People don’t die that easily.”
It’s just the first day—he’s struggling.
Once you’ve started, there’s no quitting halfway.
And so we pulled an all-nighter.
* * *
We arrived at Sajik Baseball Stadium for the weekend three-game series.
“Ugh…”
Choi Sung-hyuk rubbed his dry eyes and slowly warmed up.
The dark circles under his eyes were a testament to how little sleep he’d gotten, with studying stretching into the early morning hours.
His condition was naturally poor, but since he might still pitch during today’s game, he prepared diligently nonetheless.
Two shadows appeared around Choi Sung-hyuk.
“Where’d you go yesterday? I texted you about grabbing chicken and beer, but you didn’t answer.”
“Hey, what’s wrong with your face? Did something happen?”
None other than Jo Sang-hyuk and Jung Ji-hoon.
Their faces were fresh and glowing, proof that they’d enjoyed a light meal and slept well yesterday.
“Oh, I was studying with Ho-jin.”
At those words, both of them were startled.
They’d assumed something serious had happened to keep him awake, but the idea that he’d been studying was beyond their imagination.
“Are you insane? Are you sick or something? You studied?”
“Wait, is it your time to go? People change suddenly right before they die, man.”
As the two of them made a fuss, Choi Sung-hyuk simply shook his head, looking exhausted.
“Ho-jin’s seriously a beast… now I understand why his performance is so good.”
I realized it while studying with him one-on-one.
I’d thought Kang Ho-jin was simply good at baseball because of his fastball and control, but watching him study yesterday—his methods, his content, his analysis—I understood.
What a difference talent combined with effort could make.
And the results of that study were proven in that day’s game.
Al Toro, the starting Pitcher, collapsed early.
It was a day when his signature slider wasn’t sharp, and the slider with less movement than usual was hit repeatedly by the Serpent lineup.
With singles and extra-base hits coming through, he gave up 3 runs to start, and then grudgingly worked through the innings. By the end of the 5th inning, his pitch count exceeded 100, forcing an early substitution.
Fortunately, the Dolphins’ hitting was also on an upward trend recently, so they immediately matched the score.
The Bullpen was deployed, and the Serpent lineup, as if their hitting sense had awakened, continued to pound the Bullpen Pitchers. Jo Sang-hyuk took two singles but shut them down without allowing a run, and Jung Ji-hoon faced a crisis after giving up one extra-base hit but managed it well with 2 strikeouts and an infield single.
And when Choi Sung-hyuk took the mound, he faced the core batting order continuing from the 4th, 5th, and 6th hitters.
‘The 4th batter is weak on the inside, so throw outside twice and then go straight at him inside.’
“Swing, batter out!”
The analysis I’d done with Kang Ho-jin worked perfectly.
And the foreign batter batting 5th next was weak against falling pitches, so I threw three changeups in a row, and with the count at 1 ball and 2 strikes, I threw a fastball as a reversal and struck him out.
“Swing, batter out!”
And the 6th batter next went to a full count, but I remembered what Kang Ho-jin and I had identified during our analysis—that he was weak against high fastballs. That was the moment.
Fastball, outside lower.
At the Catcher’s request, Choi Sung-hyuk shook his head for the first time. Instead, he manipulated the pitch com to request his desired location and pitch type, and once the Catcher agreed, he threw the ball with force.
Whoosh—!
“Swing! Batter out!”
“Yes!”
Though my condition wasn’t perfect, when the analysis I’d done with Kang Ho-jin proved accurate, I immediately looked for him as I entered the Dugout.
“Ho-jin, you’re the best!”
Kang Ho-jin answered that shout.
“You were the best.”
The results of the study had been proven.

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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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