The Genius Pitcher Dad Throws for His Daughter - Chapter 75

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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 75
#75.
Hyun Myung-su’s single home run ended the game that day.
After that, Myung-hwan didn’t push himself too hard, cutting it off at exactly 100 pitches and throwing 8 and 1/3 innings, becoming the losing pitcher.
My brother’s silhouette descending from the Mound looked quite forlorn.
It seemed like he wanted to throw more, and I could see it in his eyes.
His arm was trembling slightly. Even though he’d returned from rehabilitation, I knew that with the recent high pitch counts, fatigue had naturally accumulated.
I suspected he might make a similar choice to Se-jin, and just as I predicted, the phone rang after the game ended.
– So you’re happy because your mentor won?
I laughed at his gruff yet playful voice and answered.
“Yes, I’m pleased.”
Today’s winning pitcher was me.
When I saw Myung-hwan come down in the eighth inning, I gave the pitching change signal without hesitation.
The Clutch Team had to pitch consecutively, but the four of us divided two innings between us, so there was no major strain.
I achieved a quality start plus with 7 innings pitched, 91 pitches, 4 hits allowed, 11 strikeouts, and 0 runs given up.
Today’s game required more pitches than usual.
The Catcher’s limited ability meant there were several reached-on-error situations, resulting in facing more batters. Still, watching my junior sitting over there with that dazed expression, clutching the home run ball he’d hit in one hand and his phone in the other, his growth filled me with pride.
– I’m thinking of going down to the 2nd Team too. Se-jin’s been doing well down there recently, right?
I’d heard he was doing well.
After resting for a few days, he said he’d build up his stamina and muscle mass, so his late-night meals had become frequent lately. Thanks to that, the young pitchers in the 2nd Team were bulking up rapidly while eating together. He wasn’t just eating—he was calling junior pitchers to study together, teaching them different pitch types, and enjoying himself.
I had a feeling the pitching rotation would become intense next Spring Camp.
– I’ll rest for a few days and prepare for next year. Let’s meet after the season ends.
“Yes, hyung. You worked hard.”
– Right. Don’t overwork your body just because you’re young—get proper checkups. And make sure to visit the Hospital regularly.
“Yes, I will.”
After my Senior Pitcher’s call ended, I sat back down.
Oh, by the way, today was a team dinner.
It was at a meat restaurant near the Dormitory in Daejeon. Since Tuesday was also an away game, instead of heading down to Busan, we’d have the team dinner and rest thoroughly at the Dormitory, then head to Incheon in the afternoon.
As I sat down, the two juniors who’d been busily eating meat picked up their bottles.
“Ah, Senior. Would you like some alcohol?”
“No, not really. Could you get me some water?”
“Here you go.”
I took the water bottle and drank comfortably.
At my words to eat freely, the two juniors started grilling meat earnestly, and it went straight into their mouths as soon as it was cooked.
I ate a couple of pieces myself to fill my stomach, then slapped Myung-su’s thigh with my palm as he sat there still looking dazed.
“Ow!”
With a cry of pain, his eyes regained their original focus.
Then, seeing his confused expression, I smiled and said.
“Eat. You need to eat now so you can move tomorrow.”
“Ah, yes.”
Only then did I set down the home run ball and phone I’d been holding, picking up my chopsticks instead.
The players at the next table, saying it was for the Pitcher and Catcher who’d worked hard today, grilled meat and passed it over to us, and seeing the plate piled high with meat, Myung-su began eating with focused intensity.
After some time had passed and his appetite seemed satisfied, I noticed his chopstick movements slowing, so I asked.
“Why were you spacing out like that?”
“Oh, well….”
Myung-su hesitated at my question.
I wondered if something serious had happened, but that wasn’t it.
“Actually… my Wife sent me a video….”
Then I watched the video.
A child who’d just passed ten months old was leaning against the sofa, watching the television with bright, sparkling eyes. On the screen was a baseball game, and from that small child’s mouth came the word “Dad” just as Myung-su hit a home run.
Moreover, it was the first moment the child had ever said the word “Dad.”
“Wow… is this real? That’s incredible?!”
To be honest, I was quite shocked.
At around ten months old, a baby can utter some simple words. But this was the moment the child spoke one of the two words parents most want to hear, and it happened the instant Myung-su hit a home run? This was almost a miracle, something that shouldn’t be possible.
My voice had been a bit loud, drawing everyone’s attention, and without hesitation I called over the seniors.
“Captain, Han Seok-do, Ham Ji-ha. Take a look at this.”
The seniors, already well into their drinks, dragged their heavy frames over to us.
Then the three of them pressed their heads together to watch Myung-su’s video, and they all opened their mouths in shock, their faces transforming with amazement.
“Wow! That’s incredible!”
“Wow! I didn’t even get a video when my daughter first said Dad!”
“How does he hit a home run the moment the kid says Dad?!”
The married seniors on the team with children offered their congratulations to Myung-su.
From there, they began asking when he’d gotten married and how old the child was, and before long a gathering of fathers sharing in their experiences had formed.
Though he was now the father of a ten-month-old, the seniors who understood how difficult and exhausting raising a child could be shared their stories as drinks were passed around.
“Well, the baby hasn’t even had their first birthday yet. So there’s quite a bit we can give you.”
“Oh, that’s right. Kids grow so fast that there are things we barely used and plenty of items we never even opened.”
“Myung-su, you’re on the minimum salary, right?”
Before he could even answer, they all nodded as if they already knew.
It’s natural for parents to want to dress their children in nice, pretty things. But children grow so quickly that many items end up barely used and discarded, so they discussed what they had at home that they could share with each other.
“When we go to Busan later, I’ll bring some things for you.”
“Even if it looks secondhand, when you think about how fast kids grow, this stuff is actually great.”
“We were planning to share these with whoever had kids anyway, so of course we should take care of our junior.”
Just from the childcare items the seniors mentioned, there was enough that he wouldn’t need to buy anything until the child was three years old.
“Th, thank you so much.”
Myung-su’s eyes glistened with grateful tears at the seniors’ generosity.
I understood that these were tears of relief—his worry about not being able to provide much on a minimum salary had been instantly resolved.
“If you’re grateful, then play well like today.”
“That’s right. You’re a married man with a kid, a father raising a child. We have to stay strong so our wives and children can stay strong too.”
“Keep playing well like this so your salary goes up, and you stay in the 1st Team next year too.”
Before long, Myung-su had been added to the team’s group chat for married men with children.
I’m chatting with my seniors, and my face shows how much closer we’ve become.
‘They said I was definitely an introvert.’
Looking at me now, I seem more like an extrovert than an introvert.
If I get along this well with my seniors, I’d think I’d get along fine with the Foreign Pitchers too, but something about it seemed off.
I’m staring in disbelief when suddenly a staff member approaches from where the Front Office employees are gathered.
“Excuse me, Hyun Myung-su.”
“Yes? Yes…”
Seeing how I display an introverted demeanor when the Front Office staff member speaks to me, it does seem like I might actually be an introvert after all.
But that’s not what matters.
“Would it be alright if we uploaded that video to our Baseball Team’s YouTube channel?”
At the female staff member’s words, the General Manager who had come all the way to Daejeon for the away game’s eyes light up with interest.
His expression suggests a good idea has just occurred to him, and he gazes approvingly at the staff member working to implement it.
‘But where have I seen her before…”
A woman with a youthful appearance but an unforgettable beauty.
The subtle fragrance emanating from her felt expensive, and unlike the other staff members, even her clothing exuded elegance and refinement.
Then it clicked.
“Ah! The Team Owner’s Granddaughter?!”
Only then did everyone jump in surprise and look at the staff member.
“Hehe. That’s right. I’m an intern right now.”
She confidently shows her intern-exclusive employee ID.
“Hiccup!”
Myung-su, who is now the center of attention in this conversation, suddenly starts hiccupping.
Things are getting interesting.
* * *
Monday, a day without a baseball game.
The schedule is running short now, and thanks to this year’s dry spell allowing most games to be played, there was no need to play on Monday.
There is a doubleheader scheduled, but since it’s a weekend game, there’s no major burden.
Naturally, bored baseball fans flock to sports news articles and the Baseball Team’s YouTube channel.
Since those are the places where news appears fastest, they had no choice but to check them, and by lunchtime, those who had been clicking since morning found there was nothing new to see.
The Dolphins Community was also passing time with boring posts around this time.
– Everyone! Check out the Dolphins YouTube! A video just went up after a long time!
Originally, the Dolphins YouTube hadn’t posted new content in quite a while.
Five years ago, during the early season when performance was good, videos were uploaded frequently, but as the pattern of losing repeated every time a video went up, there were no more uploads.
It was only occasionally used for introducing new players in the early season or when there were major changes within the team.
At the news that a new post had been uploaded to that YouTube account, everyone hurried to check it out.
The video begins with a baby sitting on a sofa in a small house, watching baseball.
The sight of the child leaning their small body against the sofa with sparkling eyes was absolutely adorable. Naturally, the comments were filled with praise for how cute it was.
The video alternates between shots of the child and a Batter.
In the first at-bat, he struck out, and in the second, he grounded out to the infield. The child watching this still gazed with sparkling eyes.
And the third at-bat.
This time, it wasn’t a home camera broadcast—someone had recorded the video on their phone instead.
The child sat quietly, and as he said “Dad,” the batter hit a home run. Only then did the caption appear in large letters, identifying the home run hitter as Hyun Myung-su and the child now on screen as Hyun Myung-su’s son.
– The day of his debut home run and the first time the word “Dad” came from his child’s lips!
As the video ended, comments flooded in across the Dolphins Community and Dolphins YouTube accounts.
– The kid is so adorable!
– He’s both a victory fairy and a home run fairy!
– Wow! How does a home run happen the moment he says “Dad”!
– The timing is seriously unreal!
– It’s not even fabricated—you can tell it’s genuine by how the home camera timestamp, the game footage timestamp, and the video recording all cross-reference perfectly
– I hope the child cheers whenever Hyun Myung-su takes the mound from now on!
Though brief, the video left a deep impression—the child bringing warmth to the faces of Dolphins fans, and Hyun Myung-su’s home run filling everyone with the joy of victory.
– I hope we see more videos like this from now on!
Someone’s comment received countless upvotes and quickly rose to the top.
General Manager Park Ju-ho and intern Shin Se-a gazed at the positive corner of the internet with contented smiles.
A Monday without baseball.
It was a heartwarming day where not only Dolphins fans but fans of other teams enjoyed the adorable video.

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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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