The Genius Pitcher Dad Throws for His Daughter - Chapter 71

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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 71
#71.
The days grew progressively cooler.
I could feel that true autumn baseball was upon us.
Around this time of year, the Dolphins Community always erupted into chaos.
They were searching for the culprit.
In truth, it held little real significance.
For this team, it was faster to find who wasn’t guilty than to find who was.
Most players who took the ground were culprits.
A Catcher who couldn’t trust the signs, a Pitcher who couldn’t even follow those signs.
A core batting lineup with size but no power, an infield full of holes, an outfield without range.
The Bullpen wasn’t even worth mentioning.
They burned through everything.
The Manager and coaching staff who led them were no different.
Incomprehensible strategies, bewildering Pitcher substitution timing, a Base Coach who sent runners when they should hold and held them when they could advance.
Inevitably, outs accumulated in the same patterns.
And the result was defeat—not just once or twice, but chronically, losses far outnumbered victories.
It would be fortunate if only the players faced criticism.
The General Manager whose trades consistently unleashed potential in opposing teams, and the staff member who shuttled between field and Front Office yet only compounded problems instead of resolving them—both were included among the targets of blame.
This had persisted for decades, and by this time of year, Front Office employees dreaded even logging into the community.
But this year was different.
Around this time, the community fans who once obsessed over finding culprits were actually offering praise.
– You can really feel the atmosphere is different this year.
– Whether it’s the players or the Front Office, you can clearly see they’re doing their job well.
– It’s not just empty words—they’re showing real change, so we can actually believe in them!
– Why didn’t they do this from the start! Thanks to them, we can watch in peace!
– You can really see the rebuild happening step by step—I’m so excited for next year!
– Let’s just aim for escaping last place this year!
– Keep this up! Just maintain this!
– Then we’ll repay you by filling the Stands next year!
The community’s response wasn’t bad.
In fact, seeing positive sentiment instead of the culprit-hunting that had persisted for decades was a situation most Front Office employees were witnessing for the first time.
“Sigh… why am I getting emotional over just this….”
One employee’s murmur, yet everyone shared the sentiment—eyes reddening, heads nodding.
But their emotion was fleeting.
They understood that maintaining this situation required not just performing well until now, but continuing to perform well going forward.
So a single thought occupied their minds, and just then the door burst open as a fresh-faced rookie shouted:
“The community response is amazing! We need to do well especially at times like these!”
A face so dazzlingly beautiful.
With a physique you wouldn’t expect from someone Asian.
Large glasses that seemed incongruous yet somehow perfectly suited, hair fixed in place with a mommy ball pen.
Everyone’s attention focused on the intern’s words.
And they all thought privately.
‘If the young lady says so….’
‘We’ll have to work ourselves to death.’
‘Sigh… my hands are shaking. I need to buckle down and pay off this loan.’
‘Su-jin, Su-chan. Dad will hold on strong.’
Though she was just an intern, her terrifying presence coupled with that bright smile had them quietly proceeding with their work without complaint.
A new wind was blowing through the Dolphins Front Office, once known for its rigid, stubborn ways.
It was a favorable wind for the fans—one carrying momentum that seemed to propel the organization forward steadily.
* * *
“Well then. I’ll visit again next time.”
As I stepped through the entrance, I embraced my Mother, who came to greet me while wiping her hands on her apron.
Pat, pat.
At the gentle touch of my Mother’s hand on my back, I smiled faintly and looked ahead to see my Father finishing his preparations for work, ready to head out.
“I’m heading out.”
My Mother showed no reaction to my Father’s words.
Seeing my Father’s slightly disappointed expression, I nearly laughed but held it back.
By the way, my Father is a native of Gyeongsang Province.
He’s taciturn and doesn’t hesitate to deploy blunt, fact-based remarks. However, in front of my Mother, he becomes more sensitive—and I suspect he’ll remember this and pout for days.
Thinking of that, I felt laughter bubbling up again, but I suppressed it.
“I’ll visit again.”
“All right. Stay healthy. Do well.”
“Yes, Father.”
I got off on the first floor, and my Father headed to the underground parking lot.
I’d called a taxi, so I rode it quickly to the hotel. Since it was still early morning, the gym was quiet—everyone was still sleeping.
After changing clothes and starting my workout, I began to see the faces of Dolphins players one by one.
We all greeted each other and began our exercises, and I did the same.
As I was warming up for a while, I noticed a junior who stood out.
“Hyun Myung-su.”
The youngest of the Catcher group, Hyun Myung-su.
He looked like he’d just woken up, filling a tumbler with cold water to shake off the sleep.
Startled by my call, he hurried over to me.
“Yes, Senior! You called for me?!”
His face showed he’d only recently woken, but his voice was vibrant.
By the way, Hyun Myung-su is a junior I don’t know well.
I know he exists as a junior.
However, during the two years I was sidelined by injury, Hyun Myung-su retired and disappeared. So in my knowledge, a Catcher named Hyun Myung-su essentially doesn’t exist.
It’s mysterious that such a Hyun Myung-su is now on the 1st Team.
‘As a Catcher… honestly, I don’t sense anything particularly special about him.’
Let me start by assessing the Catcher’s fundamental catching ability.
To be honest, I’d rate it around 5 out of 10.
It’s not stable, but it’s not lacking either. For a pitcher sensitive to framing, he could become the worst partner imaginable, but otherwise, he’s at a decent level.
‘Besides, now that ABS has been introduced and framing is gone, just catching the ball consistently is already half the battle.’
When I think about framing—the advanced technique beyond basic catching—it’s disappointing for world tournaments like the Olympics or Premier12, not just domestic games.
The ability to create strikes or balls through technique in crucial moments is a tremendous asset to game management.
Next is blocking.
This is interesting—he’s not just decent at it, he’s actually good. I’d rate him around 8, and if Kang Do-bin’s blocking is a 9, then they’re at a similar level.
With more experience, he could definitely become a starting-caliber Catcher. Just looking at his blocking alone.
Then there’s his throwing speed.
That’s solid. I’d say around 6.5. When he throws out a runner on a pitch-out, he catches them 7 times out of 10. His throws are better than expected, but the problem is he’s vulnerable in normal situations and against surprise steals.
‘That’s also just experience.’
Finally, pitcher management.
That’s frankly all about experience too.
No matter how many years a player spent as a Catcher in middle and high school, the professional level is a completely different weight class.
Starting with the velocity of pitches the pitcher throws, to the batter’s reactions and the base runners’ abilities—everything is at least a tier higher in skill.
Naturally, expecting a young Catcher to grasp all that would be about as likely as finding a hard drive on the street with Bitcoin inside it.
‘Even reconsidering it, this is also solved through experience.’
In conclusion, what Hyun Myung-su needs right now is experience.
Not just watching from the sidelines, but real, visceral sensation gained from feeling it directly with his body.
For the Dolphins’ future and my own points, Hyun Myung-su’s growth is necessary.
That’s why I told him beforehand that he’d be catching all the practice pitches last game.
“Starting Friday, you’ll be catching practice pitches. Get ready.”
“Yes! I’ll prepare!”
Hyun Myung-su snaps awake at my words, tensing up immediately.
Oh, by the way, this week’s rotation has been decided.
I pitched on Tuesday.
Today, Thursday—contrary to what I expected, where someone new would pitch in place of Kim Se-jin, the Manager moved Choi Jin-ha, the 5th starter, up to 4th.
Kevin pitches Friday, and Al pitches Saturday.
And I’m scheduled to pitch on Sunday.
By the way, my opponent is Park Myung-hwan again. Or rather, my hyung.
‘That hyung is funny too.’
When the rotation was decided and I contacted him with the news, he said one thing and hung up immediately.
– Don’t contact me until the Sunday game is over.
Thinking he was just joking, I contacted him the next day, and we exchanged messages about baseball like always.
Still, the thought of sharing the Mound with a veteran among veterans in the current active roster makes my heart race.
Anyway.
To prepare as carefully as possible for that day, I’m planning to train with Hyun Myung-su. And while I’m at it, I’ll think of it as developing my junior.
“What? You don’t need me anymore?”
Kang Do-bin approaches from the side with a tone of disappointment.
Of course, it’s not that he’s genuinely upset—more like he’s caught off guard.
“You can’t pitch all 144 games as a starter either, Senior. We need to develop our younger players ahead of time.”
He bristles slightly at that.
“What? I’m only thirty! I’ve got at least another ten years left in me!”
The Senior Pitcher adds more weight to the equipment, insisting he’s still in peak condition.
While he could manage it with consistent discipline, I know that the Catcher position makes that extraordinarily difficult, so I quietly reduce the weight he’d added while speaking.
“You could do it, Senior. But who knows what the future holds.”
“That’s true.”
The Senior Pitcher nods at my words and returns to his workout at the original weight.
I indulge the starting Catcher’s petulant complaints without complaint, then quietly leave the gym.
Over the next two days, we faced the Seoul Dragons in a two-game series.
How did it turn out, you ask?
It’s a bit disappointing.
One win, one loss.
Senior Pitcher Choi Jin-ha barely made it through five innings, but our batters couldn’t generate any offense, and we lost.
Kevin pitched well, allowing only two runs, and when the Clutch Team took over, we protected a 2-0 lead and won.
Meanwhile, the Gocheok Heroes managed a winning streak for the first time in a while, but they also went 1-1, so we still trailed by half a game.
After moving to Daejeon, we faced the Phoenix on Saturday.
“God… damn….”
The words that escaped Kevin’s lips.
For good reason—the game went to the eleventh inning, and the final score was 0-0; after a grueling battle where both teams used nine pitchers, we recorded a tie.
And then came the morning when I would take the mound as the starter.

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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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