The Genius Pitcher Dad Throws for His Daughter - Chapter 5

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 5
#05.
The road to Seoul for an away game.
Boarding the bus late at night for this two-game series was quite exhausting.
‘Well, it’s nothing compared to the majors.’
On this narrow Korean peninsula, a four-hour drive was manageable enough. Compared to traveling across vast territories for hours by plane in the majors, this was almost quaint. I leaned my head against the bus seat back comfortably.
The bus was quiet.
Only the sound of the vehicle moving could be heard, though a few senior players were snoring, but that wasn’t worth worrying about.
My mind was entirely focused on tomorrow’s game instead.
‘The Suwon Wolves….’
In truth, I had almost no information about the teams of this era.
I couldn’t have been conscious of it, and when I regained awareness, I’d lost two years to injury rehabilitation.
I know nothing about the next three years of information.
No, “know nothing” is the right way to put it.
‘But there’s no problem.’
The reason is simple.
Even in the 2nd Team, a Scouting/Analysis Team exists, and if you asked who could utilize it better than anyone else, I could say it was me.
‘Because I’m familiar with it.’
There’s one reason I’m familiar with scouting reports.
After my daughter dreamed of watching me play baseball, I could only survive on the Mound by analyzing the opposing team’s capabilities.
Before my injury, with a sore shoulder and elbow, slow fastballs and deteriorating control, analysis was my only way to face opposing batters.
The distinction between Hot Zones and Cold Zones had to be crystal clear.
My pitches were, frankly, batting practice material. Rather than getting hit and stupidly staring at the ball, I had to at least distinguish zones.
Beyond that, I studied everything I could utilize—habits, batting stances, defensive shifts—to strike out opposing batters.
And that proved invaluable even after I reached the majors.
The scouting analysis in the majors, with systems fundamentally different from Korea, was so detailed that I could understand it just from one glance, and I was astounded.
‘Well, but now things might be a bit different.’
Previously, my pitching was mainly about avoiding contact—escape pitching.
But with a revitalized shoulder and returning velocity, I no longer needed to avoid batters.
Instead, I could aggressively attack opposing batters and make them bleed.
‘To do that, I need to fix my elbow first.’
I gripped my left elbow.
The shoulder pain had disappeared. But the pain remaining in my elbow was still irritating. Now that my shoulder was fine, it felt like my elbow was sulking, demanding why I was neglecting it.
So this opportunity was quite important.
‘I’m sorry. And please. Just hold on until tomorrow.’
If you can just endure until tomorrow, I can become whole again.
I pulled my gaze from the tablet and looked out the window.
The streetlights of the Gyeongbu Expressway passed by as the dark night sky came into view.
It’s dark now, but the path ahead of me will be brighter than anyone’s, and I hope it shines brilliantly for my daughter.
That’s what I prayed for.
* * *
The Suwon Wolves.
A franchise established in 2013 that achieved a unified championship in 2021.
Considering that the Busan Dolphins still lack a championship even in this twentieth-century era, countless fans voice their frustration that a newly founded organization has accomplished what they have not.
Of course, the situation becomes even more pronounced when comparing the Changwon Griffins to the Suwon Wolves.
But let’s move past that.
Though the Suwon Wolves’ record this season ranked in the lower standings, their 2nd Team certainly wasn’t in the same predicament.
Currently sitting in second place in the Southern League with respectable performances, they had prepared for today’s match against the Busan Dolphins.
“Kang Ho-jin? The one whose shoulder and elbow got destroyed?”
Jang Chul-woo, who held the manager’s position, voiced his bewilderment.
It was understandable—earlier in the season, he had experience pulling Kang Ho-jin after extracting five runs in two and one-third innings against him. News of such a player returning as a starter seemed surprising.
“No… well, we’re grateful, but… why?”
Manager Jang Chul-woo found himself puzzled.
There was no reason for any significant change in less than a month, and considering his performance back then, there was no logical reason for Kang Ho-jin to be promoted.
A walk, a home run.
A walk, a clutch hit.
A clutch hit, a home run.
Those were Kang Ho-jin’s statistics that day. Moreover, he had been a benefactor who allowed the Suwon Wolves to score explosively, elevating the batting sense of the entire 2nd Team.
Learning that such a benefactor would be playing, he found his mouth watering with anticipation.
The Wolves’ recent batting sense had dulled, leaving them winless over the past four games.
“Manager Jang Si-hwan certainly is stubborn. One should abandon what should be abandoned and take what should be taken.”
To Manager Jang Chul-woo, Manager Jang Si-hwan’s stubbornness felt like sheer obstinacy.
No matter how insignificant the 2nd Team’s record appeared compared to the 1st Team’s, he still valued how the team’s preparation and effort to win served as motivation for the players—making this decision difficult to comprehend.
“Well, we’re grateful for it. How’s the preparation?”
“Yes, according to the most recently updated data, Kang Ho-jin has changed somewhat.”
“Oh? How much?”
The Pitching Coach responded to the manager’s question.
With his pitching form altered, he had regained some velocity and improved his stuff; his control on breaking balls had sharpened; and there were reports of Kang Ho-jin displaying the confidence of his former self. Hearing this, Manager Jang Chul-woo’s lips curved into a smile.
“Even so, it’ll only be a slight improvement. Our guys have warmed up far more than they did in March.”
March games are still conducted in cold weather.
Inevitably, all the players’ bodies had been stiff, and despite tormenting Kang Ho-jin in such poor condition, now that their bodies were properly loosened up, he felt they would hit him even harder.
“Mix the recent batters with poor form and those hitting well—half and half. If the score widens, swap in the ones struggling at the plate.”
Manager Jang Chul-woo viewed this match against the Busan Dolphins as excellent nourishment and conditioning for his team.
Moreover, considering this was a 2nd Team game rather than a 1st Team affair, where developing a player’s confidence and instincts mattered more than immediate results, it was actually a golden opportunity.
Rubbing his palms together, he gave final approval to the lineup the Pitching Coach and Batting Coach had constructed, then leaned back against the sofa and smiled.
‘Thank you, Manager Jang Si-hwan. And thank you, Busan Dolphins.’
With his face reflecting the belief that this two-game series would be excellent conditioning, he ceased worrying about the match itself.
He simply sipped his coffee leisurely, pondering what he might enjoy eating this evening.
* * *
We arrived in the early morning, unpacked our luggage at the dormitory, and rested.
And after arriving at the designated time via group transport, we reached the Suwon Wolves 1st Team Stadium.
Normally, we should have gone to the 2nd Team stadium in Jeonbuk Iksan City, but this match was special—the Manager decided to let the 2nd Team players experience the 1st Team stage, so we were using the Suwon stadium instead.
For reference, the Suwon Wolves 1st Team was staying in Incheon for their match against the Incheon Serpents.
Thanks to that, the hearts of both the Busan Dolphins and Suwon Wolves players raced as they got to use the 1st Team stage in full.
“This is the 1st Team stage.”
“Wow! The facilities are incredible.”
“The grass is absolutely pristine.”
“Look at those lights. We could practice all night under those.”
“Really? You want to?”
“I’m just saying.”
Everyone chimed in as they moved to acclimate themselves to the ground.
The 2nd Team players stepping onto the 1st Team stage for these rare occasions wore expressions of conflicting emotions. Most of them burned with determination to climb up to this level somehow, and to do so, they needed to prepare meticulously for today’s game—beads of sweat glistening on their foreheads as they worked.
Among all those players, I alone harbored a different thought.
‘Is that hospital over there where Ye-jin is?’
I gazed toward the northwest as that thought crossed my mind.
Even though I’d come to Suwon, my mind was filled entirely with thoughts of my Daughter.
In a sense, she was so close I could almost touch her, yet I longed to see her desperately. Though she was clinging to life with the aid of an oxygen respirator, she was such a precious child to me—my Ye-jin, whom I would never harm even if she were the apple of my eye.
With the desire to finish the game quickly and rush to see her, I kept finding my gaze drawn toward the northwest.
“Ho-jin.”
“Yes, Senior.”
Kang Do-bin, my senior, approached me.
He’d asked if we were relatives since we shared the same surname Kang, but we were from different branches. Still, he’d suggested we call each other brother and younger brother since we shared the name, but I couldn’t quite do that.
‘In the past, I didn’t have the mental space for this.’
Back then, I was simply grinding away, so I never had the chance to experience something like this. Thanks to that, it felt refreshingly new.
“Today we’re going with the four-seam fastball and changeup mainly, and the curve?”
“Yes, hyung. If we go with what we discussed earlier, it should work fine. I’ll focus on exploration in the early innings.”
“Okay. Let’s do that.”
This was already the third confirmation.
Senior Kang Do-bin kept checking with me multiple times, telling me to speak up anytime if I changed my mind.
That’s his strength.
He creates comfortable situations for the pitcher and adjusts the pitch selection to match whatever works best.
And that becomes a weakness when the opponent reads it too easily, and when we keep changing, the pitcher loses confidence and follows the catcher’s lead, resulting in runs scored against us.
That’s also why our team managed only seven wins in twenty-four games.
‘Well, it’s his personality and nature.’
That’s one thing, but today is different.
Before returning to the past, I would have thrown exactly as that senior instructed, but now things are different. And I intend to clearly demonstrate the effect of my refreshed shoulder.
And I could feel that from the very first pitch.
Whoosh—!
“Strike!”
Right down the middle.
A four-seam fastball cut through the strike zone, and the umpire’s call rang out.
Watching the batter’s stance, I could read his intentions.
‘He’s hoping I’ll remember the old me and self-destruct, isn’t he?’
Unstable control was my record from early this year.
Of course, it’s too far in the past for me to remember, but knowing the data exists, I threw the first pitch right down the middle without hesitation.
‘If he thinks I’m still that version of myself, he’s in for a rude awakening.’
The second pitch was another strike right down the middle, this time a body-high fastball, and the third pitch—a changeup—drew a wild swing.
“Nice.”
Facing a team that still thought of me as I was, I harbored no doubt.
No doubt that I would win.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————