The Genius Pitcher Dad Throws for His Daughter - Chapter 61

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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 61
#61.
The rain stopped as if by magic the moment Monday arrived.
Sunlight began pouring down on the Southern Region for the first time in ages, and the water that had accumulated everywhere started evaporating in an instant.
As a result, the humidity was stifling, and the oppressive heat returned with a vengeance.
Sajik Baseball Stadium removed its tarps to prepare for the game.
The ground crew moved about frantically, deploying tools to remove moisture from the grass and laying fresh soil across the field.
Once the initial cleanup was complete, everyone gathered in an air-conditioned room to escape the heat.
The narrow space quickly filled with sweaty men, and the stench was overwhelming, yet they were simply grateful to have escaped the oppressive temperature.
As the heat began to subside, they started chattering one by one.
“Ugh, this is killing me…”
“We need to finish before noon, so let’s hurry.”
“The team’s momentum is great right now—we need to keep it going.”
“The vibe is good these days, so I need to keep this momentum going.”
Though everyone was exhausted from the heat, there was an undeniable excitement in the air.
Most of the people working here loved baseball and were fans of the Dolphins, so it was only natural.
The team had changed recently, and now watching baseball actually felt worthwhile.
Of course, this was all very recent.
Just years ago, they’d been wallowing at the bottom, and last year they’d failed to make the postseason despite a miraculous 5% chance, dealing them a crushing blow.
So when the team started this season at rock bottom with no hope of climbing out, the despair was so severe that staff members had even considered quitting.
But then the team transformed, and now instead of hoping for this year, they looked forward to next year—and the staff found meaning in their work again.
And above all, there was one thing these people desperately wanted.
“Could we finally get one this year?!”
“Let’s see… the last one was in ’92?”
“34 years… just thinking about it gives me chills!”
“Please! This year! Just this once!”
What they yearned for was none other than the Rookie of the Year award.
Kang Ho-jin had already met the minimum innings requirement long ago.
13 games, 45.1 innings, 4 wins, 7 saves, 61 strikeouts, 1.39 ERA.
By pure statistics alone, the numbers were far from poor.
Considering that game impact was one of the criteria for Rookie of the Year, the numbers were solid, and Kang Ho-jin’s narrative naturally drew fan interest as well.
The fact that there was no truly standout rookie among this year’s prospects helped matters too.
Not a single player drafted last year had debuted in the 1st Team, and none of the so-called mid-career rookies had shown any remarkable performance either.
Perhaps that’s why the community was abuzz with debate.
– Nobody else has any real achievements, so Kang Ho-jin’s getting the award by default.
– Right? The Dolphins haven’t had a Rookie of the Year in forever, so they might as well take it however they can.
– This is basically stealing from an empty house.
– Kang Ho-jin? I’ll admit he’s good, but his impact isn’t strong enough to warrant the Rookie of the Year award.
– Now if he breaks some record, that would be a different story.
– At this level, it just feels lacking.
It was a comment made by a non-Dolphins fan who had deliberately come to the Dolphins Community.
The problem was there was no way to refute that statement, so Dolphins fans grew despondent.
With no standout rookies to speak of right now, the fact that only Kang Ho-jin was considered worthy cut deep into their hearts.
Still, many people said that was better than nothing.
The mere fact that a Rookie of the Year award—something that hadn’t happened in 34 years—would appear again was reason enough to celebrate.
Even the ground keepers working here at the stadium hoped Kang Ho-jin would be selected for Rookie of the Year.
It wasn’t simply a matter of statistics.
The image of him as a wonderful father throwing pitches for his daughter kindled hope in the hearts of married men raising children, and there were those who simply loved watching him quietly throw from the Mound.
No, the Dolphins Front Office was genuinely hoping for it.
‘Please, just give us a Rookie of the Year for once!’
They simply wished for a Rookie of the Year to emerge from the Dolphins.
Whether it was a hollow victory with no real rivals or a lack of other notable rookies didn’t matter.
They wanted him to claim this honorable award that could become a personal glory for the player.
“That’s why! We’re going to make this the best possible condition for the Ground. You understand?!”
Starting with Kevin’s game tomorrow and continuing through to make Kang Ho-jin’s appearance an impactful one, they shouted about the need to maintain the Ground in peak condition.
“Yes, sir!!!!”
After a brief rest, they hurried into Ground maintenance.
It was for today’s practice and the games starting tomorrow, and also to ensure everything was in the best possible state from the perspective of fans who loved the team more than anyone.
* * *
Tuesday.
It was the day Dolphins fans, who had gone without baseball for a week, returned to the Baseball Stadium.
“Phew, a week felt like a year.”
“I don’t even remember how I survived the off-season.”
“I nearly went crazy from the frustration!”
“But we managed to get through the week because of that Kang Ho-jin game at the end!”
“Seriously, if we’d lost that game, it would’ve felt like an eight-game losing streak.”
“Just thinking about it gives me chills.”
It was what most fans coming to the Baseball Stadium were saying.
They arrived with bright faces, grateful they’d won just before the week-long halt caused by the typhoon.
And above all, what the fans anticipated was none other than the performance of the players who had returned well-rested.
With summer’s slump behind them and their spirits recovered, they now hoped the players would work hard to escape last place.
Despite it being a weekday, fans filled the seats at Sajik Baseball Stadium, and as time passed, the game began.
Roaaaaar!
Sajik Baseball Stadium, which had been silent for a week, returned to normal operation as the Umpire’s call rang out.
“Play ball!”
The first to take the Mound for the midweek opener was none other than Kevin.
Kevin’s pitches danced wildly, proof of a full week’s rest.
“Swing! Batter’s out!”
With the Umpire’s call, a voice rang out from the broadcast booth.
“Kevin’s splitter is dropping like crazy today!”
“Wow… he’s practically back to his early-season form. His splitter is bending almost like a wild pitch. Since batters can’t distinguish it from his fastball, they’re completely helpless against it.”
The Caster and Sports Commentator explained with such enthusiasm that spittle flew from their mouths.
As if proving he’d rested well, Kevin’s splitter evaded the batter’s bat and naturally began stacking strikeouts one after another.
8 innings, no runs. 111 pitches. 9 strikeouts.
Kevin confidently earned the win, proving himself worthy of being the team’s ace foreign mercenary.
The next day.
Al Toroto also showed command that had been absent for a while. His vertical and horizontal sliders flowed freely, and the batters were utterly defenseless.
6 innings, 2 runs. 103 pitches. 12 strikeouts. 4 walks.
The statistics alone looked underwhelming, but what mattered was the result. Though the team’s offense had contributed, he’d ultimately earned the win.
For the Gwangju Elephants, surrendering two consecutive losses was infuriating.
Since they too needed wins desperately for postseason baseball, they’d deployed their pursuit squad rather than their Clutch Team in the previous two games, resulting in significant bullpen exhaustion.
They’d prepared meticulously to secure the final game.
Thursday’s final game of the three-game midweek series.
Kang Ho-jin prepared to take the mound.
Notably, the Gocheok Unicorns had fallen into an eight-game losing streak.
If we won this, the gap would narrow dramatically, and Manager Bong Jun-sik had prepared accordingly.
“This week is an all-out offensive. We’re building wins decisively.”
An all-out effort to escape last place.
Then he turned his gaze toward Ho-jin and spoke.
“Ho-jin, I hate to put it this way… but give it everything you’ve got.”
It was something he said hoping Ho-jin would perform well, so the Dolphins could finally produce a Rookie of the Year.
“Yes, Manager.”
And Ho-jin’s eyes burned with intensity, showing he had no intention of taking this game lightly.
Ho-jin’s fourteenth appearance had begun.
* * *
“Play ball.”
The Umpire’s call rang out.
At that moment, before the batter stepped into the box, my unique routine began.
As I watched it unfold, a voice came through the pitch comm.
Fastball, center.
The Catcher was demanding a blazing pitch right from the start.
A fastball down the middle is considerably risky.
It’s not merely a matter of pitch type—it’s about location. Just as a batting machine’s default setting is to throw pitches down the middle, throwing to that spot essentially maintains the muscle memory of players who’ve trained that way.
But I’d already completed my analysis of the opposing team over the past two days.
Additionally, I knew that the teams I’d recently faced actively target curveballs over fastballs.
Even though I’d failed once and shown stability the next two times, I couldn’t tell if their scouting was incomplete or if they still underestimated me.
Whoosh!
“Strike!”
My fastball, faster than a batting machine’s pitch, registered at 150 km on the scoreboard.
Seeing the bitter expression on the batter’s face, it seemed today’s game would also involve them hunting for curveballs.
So I pressed the pitch com.
A splitter low and inside.
The splitter was thrown against the left-handed batter.
Whoosh!
Against a left-handed batter, the ball drifted toward his body, forcing him to stiffen instinctively, but instead it barely caught the edge of the catcher’s glove for the out.
“Strike two!”
In an instant, I’d climbed to a favorable count.
Now came the moment to throw the finishing pitch. Until the previous games, I’d only thrown fastballs and curveballs, so the opposing batters likely still had the afterimage of the curve lingering in their minds.
‘So…’
I naturally removed the curveball from my arsenal.
I had the splitter Kevin taught me, and even without it, I possessed other pitches more than capable of handling the batter.
So I threw it.
“Swing and a miss! Batter’s out!”
A clean dispatch.
The curveball aside, I’d always been decent at throwing a changeup.
Though my proficiency was low, it was by no means a weak pitch.
Today I mixed the changeup with the curve, emphasizing the drop on both.
The effect was better than I’d anticipated.

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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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