The Genius Pitcher Dad Throws for His Daughter - Chapter 66

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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 66
#66.
In the Wolves Dugout before the game began.
Everyone was startled by the sudden news of Byung-ho’s injury.
Though not the youngest, he was a junior the team cherished dearly, so everyone was shocked—and even more so that a player from the opposing team had discovered it rather than his own teammates.
“Apparently a high school junior of his.”
“What?! We’ve been together for five years, and a schoolmate from three years knows him better?”
“Maybe it just means we weren’t paying close enough attention.”
“It’s surprising no one noticed even with all the roommate changes.”
“Byung-ho… he’s really got that stubborn streak and an incredible sense of responsibility.”
Some were amazed, some were exasperated, and some felt ashamed of themselves.
It was a reflection on failing to notice an injury despite being teammates, and embarrassment that the opposing team had discovered and stopped him first.
“I’ll step up to the batter’s box first and offer my respects.”
That was why Captain Cha Moon-jin had made the gesture.
A warm atmosphere filled the Wolves Dugout.
However, the Dolphins Dugout wondered what was happening and wanted to question it, but as the game began, everyone focused their attention.
‘Alright! The gesture is done, and we’ve prepared thoroughly enough.’
It was none other than Kang Ho-jin’s scouting report.
There had been much talk recently about Kang Ho-jin’s recent performance.
Claims that it was a fluke, that it was the dazzling skill of a rookie pitcher, that he’d collapse once they finished analyzing him—such talk was rampant.
But the Wolves’ scouting report was different.
– All pitching forms match except for the curveball.
– Literally impossible to detect before the ball leaves his hand.
– A troublesome pitcher who freely manipulates drop using pitch variation.
– Estimated minimum three months for batters to adapt.
It was the result of the Wolves’ significant investment in scouting, unlike other teams.
Because of this, the batters had decided to enter the batter’s box with the basic assumption of falling movement in mind.
The ball would definitely drop.
It was absolute as long as gravity existed, and the batting lineup prepared accordingly, swinging with the intention to make contact as much as possible to match that movement.
‘But the ball isn’t dropping as much?! And the velocity is up?! At this point in the season?!’
Three questions simultaneously arose in the minds of batters stepping into the batter’s box.
Three questions, but in truth, one question encompassed them all.
As the pennant race reached its final stretch, most pitchers saw their velocity decline compared to early season.
The long season naturally took a physical toll, and even the most carefully managed pitchers couldn’t maintain their early-season dominance.
But Kang Ho-jin’s velocity had actually increased.
Moreover, the ball’s movement had become even more vicious, and batters could only feel it as increasingly filthy.
Crack!
The sound of contact was clearly audible, as if the batter had made solid contact.
But the ball soared high into the air before slowly descending toward the ground. Unable to carry far, it dropped at the edge of the infield and was easily caught by the fielder’s glove as the umpire made the call.
“Out!”
The Wolves’ offensive turn in the first inning.
I forced them to throw eight pitches, but we could only end the attack with one strikeout and two fly balls.
The sides switched, and before long, Sajik Baseball Stadium erupted with heat even more scorching than that of a blast furnace.
Roooaaarrr—!
Against Kim Ji-gun, who had unexpectedly taken the mound as the starting pitcher, we launched a merciless bombardment.
The Dolphins created a big inning from the first frame itself, extracting six runs in an instant, and the Wolves Manager, watching this unfold, repeatedly wiped his dry face.
“Sigh… Damn it….”
The price of losing such a crucial player was far too bitter.
* * *
The match between the Suwon Wolves and the Busan Dolphins continued to unfold.
Once the Dolphins began their merciless bombardment, they refused to stop, and by the fifth inning, they had racked up a staggering fifteen runs.
The Dolphins had even set a record where all starting players recorded hits followed by all scoring runs.
The Wolves, pulling key players one by one from the field and conceding today’s game, instead made extensive use of rookies thanks to the expanded roster.
Following suit, the Dolphins also gradually removed their starting players and inserted rookies, continuing the game.
After the fifth inning concluded and the cleanup time passed, a note was delivered to the Caster and Sports Commentator handling today’s broadcast.
Once the two understood its contents, they finally made sense of the first inning’s events, and announced it as the sixth inning began.
“Top of the sixth inning—the Suwon Wolves’ turn to attack and the Busan Dolphins’ turn to defend. And we’ve just received breaking news. It concerns the pre-game exchange between player Cha Moon-jin and player Kang Ho-jin. Surprising, isn’t it?”
At Caster Jung Jae-hyuk’s words, Sports Commentator Choi Dong-yeon’s mouth opened.
“What can I say… they could recognize each other because they’re senior and junior? And such a thing is possible because of their close relationship.”
At Choi Dong-yeon’s remark, Jung Jae-hyuk provided a precise explanation.
He revealed why player Jin Byung-ho, who was originally scheduled to start, was suddenly removed from the roster, and that Kang Ho-jin, the opposing team’s starting pitcher and his high school junior, had noticed Jin Byung-ho’s injury and informed the Wolves team, which led to this exchange.
It was a gesture of gratitude toward player Kang Ho-jin for informing the team of a fact they didn’t know, and Jung Jae-hyuk explained that Kang Ho-jin had greeted them as if it were only natural.
“According to the news just in, player Jin Byung-ho’s injury is not severe. Instead of immediately returning, he’ll receive extended rest, but he’s expected to return in the final stretch of the second half.”
“It’ll be tough for a while to maintain first place, but this is fortunate news.”
Thanks to the Caster and Sports Commentator summarizing today’s events, fans also learned of this news and let out sighs of relief, expressing their gratitude toward Kang Ho-jin.
– Phew! Thank goodness! We’d be in trouble in the postseason without our Byung-ho!
– Who cares about postseason baseball?! Today’s game is the problem!
– Really glad it’s not a serious injury.
– Thank you, player Kang Ho-jin, for noticing this beforehand and letting us know.
– Ugh! Why can’t these damn batters score points!
– I’ve come to feel that good seniors have good juniors.
– Thanks to player Kang Ho-jin, I feel relieved. But please take it easy in today’s game!
The Wolves’ chat was divided.
While there were messages expressing gratitude toward Kang Ho-jin, as the situation increasingly turned into losses due to his outstanding performance on the mound, the chat also filled with anger toward him.
The Caster and Sports Commentator, watching this, smiled, but quickly regained their composure and continued the broadcast.
“Player Kang Ho-jin’s pitching today is remarkable. As we enter the final stretch of the season, he shows no signs of physical fatigue.”
“While joining in the final stretch of the first half certainly helps, it’s more than just that—it’s proof that player Kang Ho-jin possesses the ability to carry the entire season.”
In the meantime, Kang Ho-jin threw the ball, and after throwing an initial 151km fastball, he secured a strikeout with a slow curve followed by a controlled 130km-plus fastball different from the first pitch.
“Swing! Strike three! Beyond simply throwing fast pitches with physical ease, he demonstrates intelligent control of pace while securing strikeouts with stability.”
“Man, if I could’ve thrown pitches like that during my active years, I would’ve accumulated more wins. Truly, he’s a pitcher who’s not just clever but overflowing with talent.”
Amid the Caster and Sports Commentator’s astonishment and praise, Kang Ho-jin continued to throw.
Against the Wolves players composed of backups and reserve players rather than starters, Kang Ho-jin unleashed a relentless barrage.
Of course, it wasn’t perfect pitching.
He gave up a few hits and runners reached base, but they never made it home, and he continued his scoreless streak.
Since the hits came from throwing with some ease due to the early lead that had developed, they were merely the result of pace management rather than a fault of Kang Ho-jin’s.
The game continued in this manner, and soon it was the top of the ninth inning when Kang Ho-jin took the Mound to close out the game.
And ten minutes later.
“The pitcher throws! The batter swings! Ah… the ball doesn’t carry far and is caught in the infield. That ends the game. Kang Ho-jin of the Busan Dolphins becomes the winning pitcher.”
The game was over.
The winning pitcher was naturally Kang Ho-jin.
102 pitches thrown, no runs allowed, 9 strikeouts, 0 walks.
Today too, the game ended with the Player of the Game interview.
Sajik Baseball Stadium saw seagulls circling overhead just as they had yesterday, and they began singing their songs toward the harbor.
The entire city of Busan was in an uproar with fervent excitement.
* * *
The game was finished.
I conducted the Player of the Game interview with ease.
Though I’d done these interviews before, I gave a nod to a fan I’d encountered after so long.
Wink.
At my greeting, Kim Ji-won the Reporter responded with a wink, and my heart skipped a beat.
The wink of a beauty whose stock had risen due to recent increased recognition was more powerful than I’d expected.
‘Still, it’s nothing compared to Ye-jin’s Mother, though…’
In my eyes, no matter what beauty stood before me, none could compare to Ye-jin’s Mother.
I loved her that much, and even now, she was the only woman I wanted to see.
Perhaps it was thinking of the child’s mother.
Without realizing it, my interview today exuded a somewhat dark atmosphere.
Kim Ji-won the Reporter was taken aback by the interview being shorter than usual, but I turned without hesitation and headed toward the Locker Room.
Ye-jin’s Mother is my first love.
She was the only woman who taught me that my heart could race for something other than intense exercise—me who knew nothing but sports.
Her hand, which was a span shorter than mine. Her palm, which unlike my skin roughened and hardened by calluses from training, was soft and supple. Even her small frame that fit perfectly into my embrace. But what I missed most was the positive energy that emanated from her tender touch and the encouraging voice telling me to do my best.
Before returning to the past, I never met her, but if I were to meet her now, I would do this.
I would fall to my knees, bow my head, and cry out.
I’m sorry. And I’ll do better. No, I’ll definitely do better. So please.
‘Come back to me…’
For my sake too.
And for Ye-jin, our daughter.
That night, I had a dream.
Of her and me walking across the sports field during lunch hour.
Of a spring day when falling cherry blossoms were so beautiful.

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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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