The Genius Pitcher Dad Throws for His Daughter - Chapter 72

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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 72
#72.
– Your stamina has increased by 1.
The first thing I saw upon opening my eyes.
With this, I could now officially throw 101 pitches with precision.
‘At least this one thing is a blessing.’
Everything except stamina requires spending points to improve.
But stamina was the only stat I could raise on my own, and it had finally increased for the first time.
‘To be honest, I could throw more than that, but….’
Precisely speaking, stamina points represent pitches I can throw with the control I desire.
So up to 101 pitches, I can achieve pinpoint control, but beyond that, my pitches start to scatter.
The scattering isn’t severe, but compared to my earlier pitches, the movement weakens and batters can hit them more easily.
In the long run, it’s best to raise stamina points as much as possible.
‘The Big League is truly amazing.’
Especially in the World Series, teams do everything to win the championship, so more stamina points are always an advantage.
But that’s a distant future concern, so I’ll set it aside.
Right now, I haven’t even properly adapted to the KBO League yet.
And this year, I came up near the end of the first half and am now finishing out the season.
If you ask whether I’m physically exhausted, I can’t say I feel that way strongly. Rather, my real problem lies in the mental aspect.
My sick daughter and my struggling parents.
These two things shake my mental state profoundly.
Actually, there’s one more.
I should include Ye-ji, who left my daughter and me behind.
When I think of her—the woman I searched for once but couldn’t find, the woman I still need to find—my stomach aches.
Starting from this morning when I’m scheduled to pitch, I’ve been eroding my own mental strength with dark thoughts.
It would be different otherwise, but I think it’s because Park Myung-hwan will be sharing the Mound with me today.
We share similar and identical sorrows, so it feels even more intense.
‘Just a little more… just a little bit more….’
I submerged myself deeper into the profound despair.
Park Myung-hwan told me to play baseball happily, but not yet.
A little longer.
Here.
Until my daughter wakes up.
Then it will be enough.
Alone in the quiet room, I gazed at my daughter’s photograph and pushed myself into the abyss.
Time passed—whether minutes or hours, I couldn’t tell.
Buzz—!
I checked the sudden vibration and saw the Manager’s name clearly displayed, so I quickly answered.
“Yes, this is Kang Ho-jin.”
– Ho-jin. Let me be direct with you.
“Yes, Manager.”
Unlike usual, I straightened up and answered in a voice that was unusually serious.
As I listened to what was being said, my expression grew grave as well, and I soon offered my opinion.
“I think Myung-su would be the better choice. It aligns with our objectives for this season.”
The call ended with the Manager’s quiet acknowledgment of my selection.
“This isn’t the time for this.”
I needed to find my junior, who by now was probably half-panicked and terrified.
* * *
Myung-su woke early and got moving.
Every day, he started with weights in the morning, and after lunch, he followed his senior Kang Do-bin to help prepare for that day’s game, gradually learning what it took to secure a spot on the 1st Team.
“Huh? I don’t see my senior around?”
Myung-su was searching for Kang Do-bin in the locker room as usual.
But surprisingly, it seemed he hadn’t arrived at the stadium yet—the locker was empty.
He looked around just in case, but saw nothing, and when he called, there was no answer. What struck him as odd was how the coaches were bustling about.
“Bang Ho-gun, where is Kang Do-bin?”
“Huh? He’s not here yet? I haven’t seen him either.”
“Wait, did something happen?”
“Yeah, I wonder…”
With the starting catcher nowhere to be found, the backup and backup-backup catchers looked around nervously.
The pitchers and fielders seemed fine, each going about their business steadily, while only the coaches moved about urgently.
Then the Battery Coach and Pitching Coach stepped in front of them both.
“Do-bin’s got a stiff back. He can’t play today.”
Only then did the two understand why the coaches were moving so frantically.
At the same time, both recalled today’s starting pitcher in their minds, and a cold sweat trickled down their backs.
‘I have to sync up with Ho-jin?!’
‘And today, right now?!’
Their backs were already damp with perspiration.
Both conjured images of Kang Ho-jin’s wickedly sharp curve balls, splitters, and changeups.
They’d caught a few during bullpen sessions, but those weren’t easy pitches to handle—even expending all their concentration, they struggled to catch one or two.
But to catch those pitches for an entire game today? That demanded far more than concentration; it required immense mental fortitude and physical stamina.
It wasn’t just difficult—they simply lacked confidence.
Myung-su, in particular, was terrified.
‘I absolutely can’t do this!’
There was clear evidence.
Myung-su had been catching for Kang Ho-jin all week.
He’d failed to field properly and let balls slip past him. Even catching warm-up pitches—not full-velocity throws—was a struggle for him.
Naturally, considering experience and skill, he’d been relieved thinking his senior Bang Ho-gun would obviously take the mound, telling himself it wasn’t his responsibility.
“Myung-su, get ready.”
“Gasp!!”
Myung-su’s eyes went wide as saucers, as if they might pop right out of his head.
As if to prove that the Coach’s words were not a joke but serious, a tablet rose above his hand.
“Ho-jin personally requested you, and this is an opportunity—a chance to gain valuable experience.”
The Battery Coach congratulated me on getting such a good opportunity.
But none of it reached Myung-su’s ears. The thought of being with Kang Ho-jin made everything go dark; I couldn’t see anything.
That was when it happened.
Buzz—!
Feeling the vibration from my pants pocket, I pulled it out without thinking and checked the name displayed on the screen.
[The Most Beautiful Wife in the World]
And a photo of a tiny child between me and my wife, eyes closed and yawning.
Only then did my senses snap back.
“I’ll do this with my life on the line!”
My voice rang out through the Locker Room, and the Battery Coach nodded with satisfaction. Bang Ho-gun beside me also said to hang in there and told me he’d prepare himself to go in anytime.
Myung-su had steeled my resolve, and a hand landed on my shoulder.
“You can’t die. You have a family to protect.”
The moment I saw Kang Ho-jin, who would be matching my breathing today, something strange appeared before my eyes.
A gatekeeper welcoming me to hell, with little demons holding trumpets behind his back, scattering pollen.
‘Uh… maybe I should just say I can’t do it…’
Strangely, I wanted to run away.
* * *
To be honest, I was a bit surprised.
“You got married pretty young?”
“Oh, yes. She’s my childhood friend.”
Apparently, they’d been together since kindergarten and went through the same elementary, middle, and high schools.
He fell for her at first sight during their snot-nosed days, started dating in middle school, and when he turned twenty, he went pro while his wife entered university.
Though Myung-su was in the 2nd Team Sangdong and his wife was attending university, strangely their love grew stronger during their time apart, and she gave birth to their first child around this time last year.
“I’m really sorry to Mi-young. We couldn’t even have a proper wedding, and then she got pregnant… I promised I’d succeed and give her a proper proposal.”
If Myung-su, playing in the 2nd Team on minimum salary rather than the 1st Team, had a goal, it was to establish himself quickly and hold a proper proposal and wedding ceremony.
“I… want that too…”
I found myself saying that without thinking in response to Myung-su’s words.
Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve given Ye-jin’s Mother a proper proposal or told her I love her very often.
Most of all, if we meet again, I definitely want to have a wedding ceremony.
‘No! A wedding ceremony with my Daughter…!’
Ye-ji would definitely love it too.
It would be a wonderful memory for Ye-jin, and thinking about being together with the two people I love most made me wish for such a day to come.
“S-Senior Pitcher?”
Thinking about the child’s mother and daughter, my thoughts somehow drifted elsewhere without me realizing it.
“I’ll call the signs today. So you just focus on catching.”
“Yes, Senior Pitcher.”
This was consideration for Myung-su, who was putting on the Catcher’s mask and taking the field for the first time starting from the first inning.
I’d already created the pitching design the night before, and I just needed to adjust it as the game progressed.
It’s unfortunate that I don’t have a Catcher here to observe the batter’s vivid movements and provide corrections, but for a junior who’s struggling just to catch the ball right now, thinking it through alone is enough.
“I’ll do my best.”
Only then did I feel his expression brighten slightly, as if his mind had eased a little.
Watching him, I found myself growing concerned—perhaps because I’m a Father raising a child around the same age.
“Myung-su. About that goal you mentioned….”
“Yes, Senior Pitcher.”
“How about studying English whenever you have the chance?”
“English?”
Surprisingly, English is practically essential for a Catcher.
Out of five starting Pitchers, we use two Foreign Pitchers.
If a Catcher can speak English, the odds of being assigned exclusively to handle those foreign mercenaries increase significantly.
After all, being able to communicate and not being able to are entirely different things.
If that happens, starting appearances naturally increase along with improved performance, so with enough effort, he could definitely secure a spot in the starting lineup.
“I can speak English a little.”
“Huh?”
“My Wife majored in English. She said that if I ever make it to Major League Baseball, I’ll need to communicate to some degree, and she’ll serve as my Interpreter for any gaps in understanding.”
Surprised by his answer, I spoke to him in English, and he responded unexpectedly.
While not perfect, it’s at least conversational enough to communicate on the Mound. This level is definitely something Foreign Pitchers would appreciate.
“You sneaky bastard. You should’ve mentioned this earlier. From now on, catch my pitches, but also catch the Foreign Pitchers’ when you have time. Go directly to them and appeal yourself by speaking English.”
There’s nothing better than building trust with a Foreign Pitcher and naturally becoming their dedicated Catcher.
But Hyun Myung-su’s response was remarkable.
“I’m extremely introverted….”
I wonder how a Catcher manages that.

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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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