The Genius Pitcher Dad Throws for His Daughter - Chapter 40

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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 40
#40.
“Is this… right?”
Bong Jun-sik couldn’t believe what he’d witnessed with his own eyes through the first three innings.
The first inning had gone exactly as expected.
Seven pitches, two strikeouts, one ground ball.
Considering Kang Ho-jin’s background as a closer, it was entirely plausible, and he’d displayed his characteristic overwhelming velocity beautifully.
But the second inning was unexpected.
He’d lowered his velocity from the first pitch, throwing his fastball at the low 140kph range instead of the usual 150kph, followed by a breaking ball, then ramped up his velocity again to overwhelm with sheer power.
Against the heart of the opposing lineup, he’d completely dismantled the batters’ timing through pitch sequencing, throwing thirteen pitches and recording three strikeouts.
Even this much made sense given his closer background.
But what was remarkable was the third inning—against the lower-order batters, he’d lowered his velocity again, using fastballs that danced in and out of the zone along with changeups to induce three ground balls.
This time he’d thrown only ten pitches.
The result: three innings pitched on thirty total pitches with five strikeouts, dispatching the innings with ease.
I’d expected him to perform well, but he’d exceeded expectations far beyond what I’d anticipated.
“He’s doing great—probably because he spent so long as a starter.”
I nodded absently at the Senior Coach’s comment beside me.
He was performing excellently. Despite pitching as a starter for the first time in a while, he showed no signs of nervousness and dispatched the innings with composure. That alone would’ve been sufficient, but he didn’t rest in the Dugout either.
“Hey. The lower-order batters were more aggressive than expected, so I think you can keep going at the same pace.”
“Yeah, they’re really coming at us hard for some reason. But honestly, it’s made things easier for us.”
“For the top of the order, just kill your fastball ratio.”
“Sounds good.”
After each inning, he’d return and hold a brief strategy session with the other pitcher.
Typically, a starting pitcher would come down after finishing an inning and rest quietly to recover stamina, or if particularly sensitive, would remain isolated without anyone approaching.
But Kang Ho-jin was different.
“Senior Pitcher, fighting spirit!”
Rather than resting in the Dugout, he cheered alongside other players, and additionally he was talking to the Foreign Pitcher about something.
“What are they saying?”
At Bong Jun-sik’s question, the Pitching Coach beside him listened in briefly and explained.
“He’s telling them what the batters were like, what his condition was…”
“For tomorrow’s and the day after tomorrow’s games?”
“Seems like it.”
Most pitchers were too focused on throwing to have such composure, but Kang Ho-jin had the presence of mind to come down after pitching and inform the next pitcher about conditions.
“That guy’s something else.”
Thanks to this, Bong Jun-sik’s headache seemed to ease slightly.
In truth, Kang Ho-jin’s appearance had been decided after careful deliberation.
If Kang Ho-jin were pulled early, the Bullpen would have to handle the remaining innings. The problem was that today was Tuesday, the first weekday game, and I was reluctant to exhaust the Bullpen all at once.
No matter how much the Foreign Pitchers could eat up long innings tomorrow and the day after, considering the entire week ahead, it wasn’t a decision to make lightly.
But defying expectations, Kang Ho-jin had pitched three innings on thirty pitches, so even with thirty-five pitches remaining, it seemed he could comfortably handle through the fifth inning.
“When he takes the Mound in the fifth, have the relievers stand ready.”
“Yes, Manager.”
Manager Bong Jun-sik’s face had relaxed somewhat now that the week’s opening game had gone smoothly. He then gazed at the batters in the midst of their offensive assault, savoring that ease.
The lower batting order was swept away helplessly.
Rather than letting them swing at three pitches, the first batter took a strike on the first pitch, while the remaining two swung at the second pitch—reducing the opposing pitcher’s pitch count without offering any real resistance.
“Ugh… my head.”
The headache that had vanished thanks to Kang Ho-jin was returning, and Manager Bong Jun-sik found himself pressing his temples instinctively.
* * *
A meat restaurant in Seoul.
– K! K! K! In the top of the fourth inning, Pitcher Kang Ho-jin struck out the upper batting order entirely with just 15 pitches!
– Kevin is giving a standing ovation from the Dugout, celebrating. They say Kevin was the one who taught him that splitter with its insane drop, right?
– That’s what we’ve heard. Ah, these two players really love each other.
– It’s truly a pleasure to watch.
– We’ll return after these messages.
As the broadcast cut to commercials, a roar erupted from inside the meat restaurant.
“Wooooow!”
The deafening sound was enough to make anyone cover their ears, but today was different.
“Man! Kang Ho-jin is killing it!”
“This feels so satisfying, so satisfying!”
“Insane! Eight strikeouts already!”
“Four perfect innings! He’s on fire!”
“Is he going for a record today?! Really?!”
Everyone gathered at this meat restaurant today was a Dolphins fan.
Moreover, they were people who had left their hometowns to live in distant cities, yet their devotion to the Dolphins remained genuine—making the atmosphere lively and boisterous.
They all turned to look at one particular table.
“Man! Father! He’s incredible. Just incredible!”
“Mother! How proud you must be?!”
It was none other than Kang Ho-jin’s Parents—Kang Chul-soo and Kim Young-hee.
The Restaurant Owner Jang was grilling the meat himself, so the cuts were of exceptional quality and cooked beautifully.
Yet all of it had grown cold.
The Restaurant Owner Jang had grilled the meat after the game started, but since Kang Ho-jin took the mound and began throwing, they had been too anxious watching to bring a single piece to their mouths.
“He’s… doing well….”
“Our son is doing well….”
Kang Chul-soo’s eyes were already reddened.
His neck had grown stiff from the tension and worry each time his son threw, and his eyes had reddened from the strain of concentration.
As for Kim Young-hee, tears had already begun to fall.
Watching her son Kang Ho-jin throw from the mound had always brought her joy since childhood. Today was especially so. Seeing him pitch as a starting pitcher at Sajik Baseball Stadium—the professional stage her son had dreamed of since childhood—filled her with pride.
Yet the tears fell as she thought of Ye-jin lying in the Hospital Room.
She wished Ye-jin could have seen him throwing so earnestly from that mound, and she longed to see her granddaughter cheering for her son at Sajik Baseball Stadium. These thoughts brought the tears flowing.
The atmosphere that had soared in an instant seemed to dip slightly.
Sensing this, Kang Ho-jin’s Parents quickly wiped away their tears and turned their gaze back to the television with bright faces.
In response, Jang Sung-ho, the restaurant owner, called out as if to lift the mood.
“I hope the score comes up soon.”
When everyone turned their attention back to the screen, Sajik Baseball Stadium appeared on the TV.
And at that very moment, it rang out.
– Now~ from anywhere~ the mighty Dolphins!
Just as the Dolphins were preparing to attack, the Busan Seagulls suddenly cried out.
Normally it would have been far too early to sing that song, but as if to prove that Kang Ho-jin’s pitching had won over the hearts of the fans at Sajik Baseball Stadium, the song began to ring out as if yearning for victory.
Though Sajik Baseball Stadium was visibly sparse with empty seats, the voices of the fans present were no quieter than a full house, ringing out so loudly it pierced through to the broadcast booth.
And in time with that cheering, the Dolphins’ attack began.
Crack!
With a short single from leadoff batter Han Seok-do, the path to offense opened up.
– Waaah!
“Waaah!”
Cheers erupted from both Sajik Baseball Stadium and the meat restaurant.
And there were Kang Ho-jin’s Parents, watching the scene with satisfaction.
“Son, you’re doing great!”
“Our son, fighting!”
The Dolphins pulled ahead with two runs.
* * *
As I headed toward the Mound, I glanced around.
I felt as though I could hear my Parents’ voices from somewhere.
It was cheering directed at me, and whether endorphins began surging through me unbidden or not, my heart began pounding wildly.
“Hoo….”
To calm my racing heart, I stopped in my tracks and took a deep breath.
In that moment, Kang Do-bin, who had come to my side, gave me a light tap on the rear.
“What? Nervous?”
Kang Do-bin looked even more nervous than I felt.
Well, truth be told, I could sense it too.
The Dugout, which had been bustling until the end of the third inning, suddenly went quiet, and even Kevin had stepped outside as soon as I tried to enter the Dugout—if I hadn’t noticed that, I’d be an idiot.
“Why would I be nervous? Anyway, I’m throwing sixty-five pitches today and coming out.”
“Huh? Ah… yeah.”
Kang Do-bin, flustered, headed toward the Catcher’s position.
The Third Base and Shortstop seniors passing behind me also headed to their positions with visibly tense expressions.
Everyone seemed to be thinking of ‘that,’ but somehow I alone didn’t seem to be.
“Tsk….”
With everyone’s expectations hanging over me, it didn’t seem like it would be easy to leave the Mound.
Anyway, the game restarted like that, and the Mound, which had been like a blank canvas when I first stepped on it, was now a mess as if someone had scribbled all over it.
I slowly began tidying up the Mound with my spikes, and once I was ready, I threw a practice pitch and waited for the batter to step into the Batter’s Box.
The game restarted.
The top of the fifth inning, facing the heart of their lineup.
I nodded at the Catcher’s request for a fastball on the first pitch and threw the ball.
“Strike!”
It had been visible since the previous inning.
The batter was simply watching the first pitch and second pitch, trying to increase my pitch count.
“Strike! Two!”
“What the—?!”
So I threw it with reduced velocity—a fastball right down the middle at mid-130s kilometers per hour.
The batter naturally cursed, and the Umpire, hearing it, glanced at him. But the batter’s eyes and ears were fixed on me, not the umpire, because of the pitch he’d just received.
“Batter, to the box.”
Under normal circumstances, the Umpire might have given more time, but he hurried the frustrated batter along. The batter hastily stepped into the box, and seeing his slightly awkward stance, I sent a sign through the pitch com.
Fastball inside.
This time, a full-power fastball bored into the batter’s body.
“Swing! Batter out!”
The Umpire clenched his fists with both hands and thrust them down sharply.
The fifth inning went surprisingly smoothly.
First, I easily gained a favorable count against batters who simply watched up to two strikes, then moved into decisive pitches and cleanly recorded three outs.
However, this inning required slightly more pitches.
Sixteen.
It was because batters watched the dropping pitches more often than they swung at them.
Total pitches: 61.
An hour had passed, and with the first inning recovered, I had only 5 pitches remaining.
The bottom of the fifth passed quietly.
Everyone seemed focused elsewhere and couldn’t generate power in their offense, but after the cleanup hitters finished, we moved into the top of the sixth.
“Strike!”
Against the first batter, I easily got two strikes again, and this time, gripping a splitter to throw my final decisive pitch, I released it.
“Huh?!”
I knew something was wrong the moment I released it.
This wasn’t a properly gripped splitter but a wild pitch. The ball dropped before reaching Home Plate, and even though Kang Do-bin’s Senior Pitcher threw his body in front of it, he couldn’t stop it.
A bunt single.
And so the opposing team recorded their first base runner.

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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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