The Genius Pitcher Dad Throws for His Daughter - Chapter 47

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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 47
#47.
Thwack—!
“Strike!”
Thwack—!
“Strike! Two!”
Whoosh—!
“Swing! Batter’s out!”
The Umpire thrust his fist upward.
With the strikeout call came nothing less than a tremendous roar.
Roaaaaar—!
The cries of Dolphins fans seated along the third-base line of Jamsil Baseball Stadium reverberated through the air.
“K! K! K! Kang Ho-jin closes out this inning with three strikeouts!”
“Wow, he’s absolutely incredible today! The drop on his pitches is so sharp we can feel it even from the broadcast booth. Kang Ho-jin has really sharpened his blade today.”
The voices of the Caster and Sports Commentator flowed through the broadcast.
The Sports Commentator’s excitement—spraying saliva as he spoke—stemmed from the fact that all of Kang Ho-jin’s out pitches today displayed tremendous vertical drop, deftly evading the batters’ bats, with not a single solid contact made.
Five innings pitched, zero runs allowed, fifty-one pitches thrown, five strikeouts.
The remaining ten outs were all handled as ground balls, keeping the infield defense constantly in motion.
In the previous game, I had pitched as if hunting for strikeouts, but today I was mixing in contact pitches while still hunting for strikeouts when the opportunity presented itself.
Naturally, only the Buffaloes’ batting lineup found their heads spinning.
“Damn it, I just want to see the ball… but throwing it right down the middle is too much?”
“Is this guy insane? The ball doesn’t drop?”
“No! The balls that do drop fall like crazy?!”
“It’s even worse than the data the Scouting/Analysis Team gave us?!”
The Buffaloes’ batting lineup, completely shut down for five innings, voiced their frustration.
They had stepped into the Batter’s Box after shaking off the aftereffects of Choi Jin-ha and Jake, but much like those two before them, they found themselves swinging wildly without their wits about them, overwhelmed by the rapid pitching tempo and the insane vertical drop.
Even so, their effort to hold back their swings as much as possible resulted in fifty-one pitches over five innings.
This number was achieved only after implementing a strategy to refrain from swinging until taking two strikes once the batting order cycled through.
“Stick with him tenaciously next inning. Then he’ll come out.”
According to information from the Scouting/Analysis Team, Kang Ho-jin’s maximum pitch count hovered around sixty-five. With fourteen pitches remaining, the next inning was essentially his last.
“The Bullpen guys aren’t the type who pitch at a fast tempo, so we can definitely exploit them. So let’s get him out of there!”
With the thought that they only needed to endure one more inning, they focused on defense in the top of the sixth.
Having been dragged along by the rapid tempo for two consecutive days—yesterday and today—they unconsciously accelerated their own tempo on defense as well.
“Huh?!”
A routine fly ball.
In a situation where precise fielding was necessary for a stable catch, they closed their glove too quickly without realizing it, and the ball bounced away without being fully caught.
“Run!”
“Catch it!”
With the voices calling out from both teams, the players bolted.
Choi Ji-ho, the number one batter, was renowned for his aggressive baserunning even on routine fly balls, and he had already reached Second Base.
The Buffaloes’ outfield executed a backup play in haste, and the throw came quickly.
Whoooosh—!
Thud—!
Crack—!
Choi Ji-ho arrived at Third Base faster than the incoming ball and rose to his feet with a roar.
“Let’s go!!”
A play that gave everything until the very end.
Given baseball’s unpredictable nature, no one knows what situation might unfold.
Isn’t that why they say baseball doesn’t end until the ninth inning with two outs?
Such a player’s actions were courtesy and respect toward the fans—the mark of a true professional.
Choi Ji-ho displayed that genuine professionalism, and as a result, the current situation had been created.
Runner on Third Base with no outs.
In a situation where the score hadn’t increased and pressure was mounting, the Dolphins played textbook baseball without overreaching.
Crack—!
“Out!”
A deep outfield fly out. At that same moment, the runner on Third Base sprinted toward Home Plate.
“Safe!”
Choi Ji-ho crossed home with ease and comfort, and thanks to that, the score changed from zero to one.
Though no further chances materialized afterward, the Dolphins’ batters relentlessly wore down their opponent, and the opposing team gradually fell apart.
“Out!”
The Dolphins’ batting lineup had extracted twenty pitches from the opposing Pitcher, and now completely exhausted, he faced a difficult prospect for the next inning.
Trudge, trudge.
Kang Ho-jin, who had achieved the winning Pitcher condition, emerged from the Dugout.
* * *
The fifth inning had ended.
The Ground was being maintained during the cleaning time, and I stepped out of the Dugout to survey the Stands.
Starting from First Base and passing through the Outfield toward Third Base, when I looked toward the Central Table Seats behind Home Plate, I spotted a familiar face.
A smile spread across my face.
Before I knew it, I was grinning, and I could feel our eyes meeting as they looked toward me.
So I raised my hand and waved, and seeing them wave back, I couldn’t help but smile even wider.
My Parents’ faces came into clear view.
At first, my Parents had seemed somewhat nervous. Since they hadn’t seen me pitch even once since middle and high school, their expressions were awkward. And since this wasn’t our home field but an away game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, they seemed a bit intimidated.
But not anymore.
My Mother’s face, waving at me with ease, and my Father’s face, quietly watching her, had both transformed into comfort.
Seeing my Parents’ joyful expressions, I recalled who I had been before my return and fell briefly into reflection.
“Hmm?”
My gaze suddenly landed on the Sky Box visible slightly above where my Parents were sitting.
I recalled hearing that wasn’t just a VIP room but a VVIP exclusive suite, and seeing an elderly gentleman and a young woman who looked like his granddaughter there, I finally understood.
“Ah, the Chairman was supposed to come.”
I had spoken without thinking, when suddenly I heard a loud crash from behind me.
“What? The Chairman is here?”
Captain Lee Ki-ha suddenly asks me this question.
His face showed disbelief, as if he couldn’t trust what I’d just said. And he wasn’t alone.
Looking back, everyone wore expressions of shock.
Even the Coaches were stunned. Only the Manager and I seemed unfazed.
“Geez! Why are you telling us this now?”
Senior Lee Ki-ha spoke as if some catastrophe had struck, and several other seniors suddenly ignited with fierce determination in their eyes.
“Listen, we don’t have much time. Gather around, quickly.”
At the Captain’s call, the infielders and outfielders assembled.
“No need for speeches. From now until the final out, we play like we’re already dead—total focus. Our goal is a flawless defense! And when we’re batting, be aggressive, really bite down on those pitches! Let’s send some home runs flying and get the Chairman’s blood pumping! Boom! Boom!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Dolphins!”
“Let’s go!”
The fielders suddenly blazed with motivation, while the pitchers could only watch in bewilderment at what was happening.
Only Kim Se-jin, the longest-serving player on the Dolphins, smiled as he watched them.
Everyone looked at him questioningly.
“Oh, when the Chairman visits and we win, we get a team dinner. Since today’s the last day of the first half, if we win today, we could have a big celebration dinner, so everyone’s fired up.”
True, even if we won today, we’d be too busy heading back since it’s an away game.
But with the first half ending in three days anyway, it’s perfect timing for a celebration, so this desperate effort is like a rallying cry to create that justification.
“That’s great. I should trust my seniors and pitch well.”
The momentum felt right, so I decided to throw with everything I had.
And it wasn’t just talk—I truly committed to it.
“Strike!”
“Strike! Two!”
“Swing! Batter’s out!”
The first and second pitches went straight through the Strike Zone, and for the finale, I challenged him with a dropping bait pitch.
It was clearly an effort to minimize pitch count, so I threw without hesitation.
Besides, knowing he was a lower-order batter who wouldn’t be hit hard, I made sure the dropping pitch fell sharply so he couldn’t make solid contact.
As a result, I came down from the Mound with ease—two strikeouts and one ground ball.
Six innings pitched, no runs allowed, 61 pitches thrown, 7 strikeouts.
Now I had 2 pitches remaining.
No, after an hour passed, I recovered 1, so it was 3.
‘Wait, I used points for that.’
So 8 pitches ahead.
* * *
Top of the 7th inning.
The Dolphins’ turn to bat.
Crack!
“Foul!”
Crack!
“Foul!”
The Dolphins batters began deliberately fouling off pitches, refusing to go down easily against the pitcher.
While they’d shown similar resistance in the sixth inning, this time they were far more relentless. They fought back fiercely, determined not to surrender cheaply.
Some even looked ready to snap their bats in frustration after striking out on three pitches, their deep anger evident to all.
Crack!
As a solid hit exploded off a bat, Dolphins fans leaped to their feet with roaring cheers. The barrage continued, and in what felt like moments, they’d racked up five runs.
Time flew by, and the game had now surpassed the two-hour mark.
As Kang Ho-jin climbed onto the Mound, the Buffaloes Manager shouted out.
“Listen up! Just four more pitches and that guy hits his limit. After that, you know what to do, right? Attack and crush him! Down by six? That’s nothing—we can flip it around easy!”
Following the Manager’s words, the Buffaloes batters burned with determination.
Their eyes blazed with the resolve to repay everything they’d suffered tenfold, and the leadoff batter stepped into the Batter’s Box with this crucial mission on his shoulders.
“Swing! Batter out!”
He’d stepped up planning to let four pitches pass for his 65th pitch count, but he was helpless against Kang Ho-jin’s crude fastballs aimed straight at the Strike Zone.
The next batter let the first pitch go as planned.
“Strike!”
He now knew the 66th pitch was coming and prepared to swing accordingly.
‘It’s ridiculous that a person’s strength supposedly weakens after throwing exactly this many pitches… but whatever.’
Still, it was the team’s strategy, so he’d follow it. As the pitch came, he swung at what looked like a fastball heading straight for the Strike Zone.
Whoosh!
“Swing! Two!”
Shockingly, the pitch came in no different from the last one, flying high through the Strike Zone.
Caught off guard, he froze in place, and the pitcher, maintaining his rapid tempo from before, immediately threw again.
“Oh no!”
The pitcher was already in his delivery, and the batter had no choice but to swing.
“Swing! Batter out!”
He’d been fooled into swinging at an absurd pitch, and with two outs easily recorded, Dolphins fans erupted in cheers.
“What? How? Wasn’t 65 pitches supposed to be his limit?”
It was both a muttered comment and a question directed at the Catcher.
Naturally, there was no answer. Seeing the Catcher calmly waiting for the next batter, the batter spoke to the one in the On-deck Circle.
“His strength hasn’t faded.”
“What?”
“I’m serious.”
Unlike what the Scouting/Analysis Team had said—that his power would have diminished and he’d be easy to hit—Kang Ho-jin was throwing with no apparent difference from before.
The third batter also swung at three pitches, and on the last one, he even dropped to his knees trying to reach a curve ball falling toward Home Plate.
“Swing! Batter out!”
Seven innings, zero runs allowed, 70 pitches thrown, 10 strikeouts.
Naturally, the winning pitcher was Kang Ho-jin.

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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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