The Genius Pitcher Dad Throws for His Daughter - Chapter 34

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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 34
#34.
Eight Consecutive Victories.
I returned to the Dormitory, delighted by the Busan Dolphins’ winning streak, carrying the materials from the Scouting/Analysis Team that I’d received on my way home from the stadium.
Thud.
Since no roommate had been assigned yet, I had a spacious double room all to myself.
After setting the materials down, I lay on the bed and pulled out my phone before organizing anything.
Swipe, swipe.
Photos of my Daughter stored on my phone.
The very first photo was taken the day we first met.
Such a tiny infant, still nursing.
A fragile little thing that seemed like she would shatter if I applied even the slightest pressure with my hand. Noticing her mouth moving as a sign of hunger, my Mother and Father hurriedly set down their camera and rushed out to buy formula.
Left alone, I could only hold that impossibly small child in my arms and gaze at her in a daze.
Her overall features resembled Ye-ji, but her eyes were an exact copy of mine.
Since she inherited so much from her mother, she would undoubtedly grow into a beauty, and men would surely flock around her.
Just thinking about it made me feel nauseated.
‘I will protect my daughter….’
With that thought, I held her in my arms for a long time, simply watching her.
Would she be uncomfortable? Did she dislike just being held? I watched her with anxiety and worry, yet she never cried once.
She simply nestled in my arms, gazing up at me quietly, her mouth moving softly.
I wanted to give her a pacifier, but as someone with nothing, I felt utterly helpless.
“My daughter is remarkable. She doesn’t even cry.”
She neither cried nor laughed—just stared at me intently.
That was how our family began our journey into parenthood, starting with the formula and diapers my Mother and Father hurriedly purchased.
Flip.
As I scrolled through the photos, I could see my Daughter’s face gradually growing.
From newborn to three years old.
The photos I’d taken over those mere three years were few, and they ended quickly.
The very last photo was one I’d seen recently when I stopped by home—a picture of my Wife and me from high school, hanging in a small frame.
A photo we’d taken with our heads close together, making a V-sign with our fingers.
Me with my buzzcut and her with her long natural hair, both of us smiling as if we were truly happy.
“Why couldn’t we have just stayed together….”
Looking back now, I can’t understand it.
She was always so responsible. We even promised each other that no matter what happened, we would face it together and overcome it, and during high school, we actually went through various hardships together, strengthening our love even more.
Yet I couldn’t understand why she left, abandoning only Ye-jin and me.
Perhaps she had her own reasons.
Otherwise, there would be no reason for her to leave me and Ye-jin behind.
Especially since there was no contact from her even after Ye-jin’s funeral, and even when I was active in Major League Baseball—finding her mother through money shouldn’t have failed.
“Sigh… Get a grip.”
This isn’t the time for this.
I am not the same person I was back then.
I’m no longer the man who ran away in the face of my daughter’s death. Now I stand firm and fight alongside her, and more than that—haven’t I gained the ability to treat her? And to do that, I need to earn points diligently, and to earn those points, I need to excel at baseball.
Considering wake-up time, I have about two hours of leeway ahead.
It’s time to review the Scouting/Analysis Team’s materials and make them my own in preparation for tomorrow’s start.
I had just settled in and was about to begin.
Knock, knock!
I answered the knock, the door opened, and an unexpected visitor appeared.
“Are you studying again today?”
The visitor was none other than Senior Pitcher Choi Sung-hyuk.
When I naturally said yes, he slipped into the room and held out a square box.
“Teacher’s tuition fee.”
The aroma of fried chicken filled the room in an instant.
At the same time, hunger stirred, and saliva pooled at the corners of my mouth.
“It’s cola instead of alcohol—that okay?”
“I’ll eat whatever you give me.”
“If it’s not enough, we can order more. Let’s eat together.”
Senior Pitcher Choi Sung-hyuk settled in naturally as he spoke.
I hadn’t expected him to come back after yesterday’s ordeal, but he was surprisingly candid.
“When I threw today, it was definitely different. Having solid grounds to commit to the pitch made throwing naturally without hesitation. Maybe that’s why the ball seems to be working better too.”
It wasn’t mere studying—it was like magic that elevated his abilities to the next level.
And to firmly establish himself in the 1st Team going forward, he said it would be less exhausting to endure a little fatigue and engage in decisive battles with batters, so he naturally began spreading out the materials.
“Thanks. Baseball was really fun today.”
His face showed he truly meant it.
And wanting to continue enjoying it that way, he started organizing before I could even look at the materials.
As we tore into the chicken, we reviewed the newly added analysis sheets and mentally ran simulations of how to pitch tomorrow when we met, tailoring our approach to each other’s pitching styles.
Starting batters one through nine.
We factored in data on backup players and pinch-hitting specialists, and the chicken was nearly gone by that point.
Knock, knock!
I opened the door to this knock as well, and two chicken boxes appeared before my eyes.
“Is this where the baseball sage who sees through batters even before throwing resides?!”
“Baseball rules! Baseball rules!”
Senior Pitcher Jo Sang-hyuk and Senior Pitcher Jung Ji-hoon had arrived with chicken and drinks.
Apparently, everyone had taken unusual beatings today, and only Choi Sung-hyuk had steadily held down the Mound, so these two seniors had pressed him about it.
“At first he ran away with a look of disgust.”
When they heard he was doing extra studying instead of resting after the game, the two of them fled on the spot.
In a way, it was natural.
Starting morning training, preparing for the game, playing the game, and then not resting but diving into studying again—there’s no need to explain how exhausting that is.
In fact, the Dormitory is as quiet as a graveyard right now.
These two seniors didn’t feel like studying at a time when everyone else was resting to recover from fatigue.
“But here’s the thing—we just made it back to the 1st Team after a long time, and we don’t know when we’ll be sent back down, right?”
“Sung-hyuk is favored by Coach, so he gets special attention. We don’t get that kind of treatment.”
After ordering chicken, the two Senior Pitchers said nothing at first, but they came to find me as soon as it arrived. They hadn’t spoken about it, but anxiety about the future had crept in, and they said they couldn’t even think about resting.
“Why are you embarrassed to say such things?”
“Because then we’ll know you’re being sincere.”
Watching the two Senior Pitchers bicker with each other, I couldn’t help but smile.
I thought it was truly admirable—they weren’t simply satisfied with making it to the 1st Team and content to hold their position, but were taking a step forward to advance even further.
“I’m in. But there’s one condition.”
I spoke to the two Senior Pitchers while holding the materials that Choi Sung-hyuk and I had prepared yesterday.
“Since you’ve started, there’s absolutely no running away. So tonight, memorize all of this.”
Materials analyzing three years of data on the Serpent batters we’d face tomorrow.
Combined with the materials added today, a substantial volume of data was placed in their hands.
“Eek!”
“Are you, are you insane?!”
The two Senior Pitchers were so startled that their faces turned pale, and they began slowly backing away step by step.
Of course, since they’d started, there was no running away. And most importantly, Choi Sung-hyuk, whose face had transformed into the brightest smile, blocked the entrance.
“Coming to rescue me.”
“That’s not it.”
“We’ve been kidnapped too.”
The three closest Senior Pitchers came together again, their banter filling the air.
If things continued this way, even if I moved to the starting rotation in the second half, I could trust these Senior Pitchers completely.
‘So…’
Keep rolling forward.
I contacted the Scouting/Analysis Team and requested three years of recent data on our next opponent.
Well then, shall we go to hell together?
It was a night when four orders of chicken barely had half eaten before growing cold.
* * *
Saturday arrived at Sajik Baseball Stadium.
Today’s pitcher was Kim Se-jin.
With the recent record of eight consecutive victories, Dolphins fans filled with anticipation began arriving at the stadium one by one.
Of course, even with the number of people visiting the stadium, it was still fewer than other organizations, and the commercial district around Sajik Baseball Stadium hadn’t fully revived yet.
At least the chicken and pizza shops across from Sajik Baseball Stadium were bustling with customers.
Food sold inside the stadium was warm but expensive, whereas chicken and pizza, which could be eaten even cold, were cheap enough to buy here and bring inside.
“Isn’t baseball fun to watch these days?”
“Really. This is my first time at the stadium this year.”
“Honestly, even if we lose today, I just hope to see them doing their best.”
“That’s true. We lose every game, and when they play half-heartedly without any motivation, it makes me furious.”
“Well, win or lose, isn’t the real fun in developing rookies?”
“Rookies… well, yes. Though they’re second-hand rookies.”
“Still, that’s better than nothing. Way better than those cancer-inducing bastards.”
Most of those who came to the stadium today didn’t expect a victory.
That is the Dolphins, and it is the inevitable result.
No matter how good their recent record has been, the Dolphins are a team that could lose at any time, anywhere.
Still, the glimmer of hope came from the fact that today’s pitcher was Kim Se-jin, and it was loyalty to the pitcher who had shouldered one position on the Dolphins’ Mound for the past decade or so.
“Still, I hope they win.”
“Honestly, getting one more win for Kim Se-jin is more important than chasing some consecutive victory record.”
“If a player is loyal to the team, then fans should be loyal too.”
With the unique circumstances of Saturday and Kim Se-jin, the fans who came to Sajik Baseball Stadium arrived in groups, each carrying snacks bundled in their arms, gathering in clusters to cheer together.
Waaaaaah—!
The roar of more than ten thousand people.
Though the Third Base Cheering Section and Outfield Seating sat empty, at least the First Base Cheering Section was packed with people singing the cheer in unison.
“Now~ from everywhere~ the mighty Dolphins!”
Before the game began, with the cry of the Busan seagull echoing through the Baseball Stadium, Kim Se-jin emerged from the Dugout to face the fans.
“Kim Se-jin! Kim Se-jin!”
Bolstered by the enthusiastic cheers, the game began.
“Play ball!”
With the Umpire’s declaration, Kim Se-jin threw his first pitch.
“Crack!”
A pitch that hit the batter.
From the start, Kim Se-jin’s control was faltering.

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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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