The Genius Pitcher Dad Throws for His Daughter - Chapter 79

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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 79
#79.
The bottom of the seventh inning ended.
Our batting lineup remained silent.
Scattered hits materialized, but they failed to translate into runs, and as a result, the fans’ anxiety deepened—a continuous stream of sighs echoing through the stadium.
However, when the top of the eighth inning arrived and our defense took the field, a tremendous roar thundered through Sajik Baseball Stadium.
Waaaaaah!
Kang Ho-jin! Kang Ho-jin! Kang Ho-jin!
Every cheer from the crowd was calling my name.
On the scoreboard, fans holding sketchbooks displaying the letter K were shown.
Sixteen consecutive K’s streamed across the screen—a sight that was absolutely beautiful to behold.
Some might feel pressure from such a display, but today I was satisfied knowing that the strikeouts I had deliberately prepared for were working perfectly. And perhaps because I wanted to live up to the fans’ expectations, energy surged through me.
The walk to the Mound felt utterly weightless.
“Myung-su.”
“Yes, Senior Pitcher.”
Myung-su’s face was ashen.
Since earlier, whenever he came to the Dugout, I could hear him retching—as if the pressure was suffocating him. Yet he steadfastly donned his catcher’s mask and made every effort to receive my pitches.
“From here on, we’re going with a two-pitch strategy.”
At my words, Myung-su nodded silently.
He appeared focused solely on receiving the ball cleanly, which made him trustworthy.
“And it’ll drop even more than before. You’ve got this.”
“Yes? Yes!”
His face grew even paler at the mention of a steeper drop, but there was no helping it.
To decisively end the game with only ten pitches remaining, I needed to make them drop even more dramatically.
The batters had grown accustomed to my dropping pitches and were gradually timing them better, increasing my pitch count—so throwing them even lower would do the trick.
First, I established the count with two fastballs.
The batter, seemingly content to observe up to two pitches, watched the ball intently and timed his swing, stepping into the Batter’s Box.
Against such a batter, I pressed the pitch type I had invested points into on the pitchcom.
Changeup. Middle-in.
None other than a changeup.
The pitch that already dropped at such a severe angle it seemed to bury itself in the Home Plate—I elevated it one more rank.
Was it because I had invested points and raised its rank? The feel in my hand was exquisite, and my control seemed to have improved as well.
So I chose to place it precariously on the edge of the Strike Zone, on the inside.
Whoosh!
“Strike! Batter out!”
Thinking it was a high fastball, he swung—but the ball evaded his bat and dropped away.
That made seventeen.
I received the ball Myung-su threw back and waited for the next batter.
“Time! Pinch hitter!”
This time, a substitution card.
A Salamanders batter with excellent contact stepped up to the plate.
Whether by increasing pitch count or creating hits to break the momentum, I was determined to seize control.
But the batter now facing me was one I’d already thoroughly analyzed, so there was no hesitation.
A changeup right from the first pitch.
“Swing!”
The bat and ball missed each other.
Had this been a changeup before investing points, it might have resulted in a foul or solid contact, but now the batter couldn’t catch up to the even sharper drop.
So this time, I threw with confidence once more.
Crack!
“Foul.”
He twisted his wrists desperately to follow the pitch, but the ball only bounced outside the foul line.
I could see the batter’s mouth moving.
“Wow… that drops like crazy…”
High praise that justified every point I’d invested.
By now, his mind must be filled with thoughts of that changeup. So this time, I’d just blow it past him.
A four-seam fastball. High and inside.
Since his eyes had drifted downward, I simply threw it high on the inside corner.
“Swing! Batter’s out!”
Faster than the bat of a batter whose mind was consumed by thoughts of the changeup, the ball was sucked into the Catcher’s glove, and I clenched my fist in joy.
Roooaaarrr!
The fans screamed my name.
My name appeared on the scoreboard, tied with the existing record.
Any strikeout from here on would be a new record, and a batter had just stepped up to become that sacrifice.
Ji Dong-hyun, entering as a pinch hitter.
A veteran Senior Pitcher facing retirement soon. The expression on his face as he climbed onto the stage to become a sacrifice for a great record looked bitter.
Well, from the Manager’s perspective, I understood throwing a player nearing retirement as a sacrifice rather than one with a bright future ahead.
Still, he hadn’t completely given up.
This Senior Pitcher’s strength lay in entering as a pinch hitter despite his veteran status and reliably producing hits to open up the offense.
From the first pitch, I drove a four-seam fastball hard and inside.
Crack!
The bat swung like lightning, and the ball shot toward the Third Base Stands in an instant.
I could see it was pulled well, and if it had drifted just slightly more toward center, it might have been a home run.
Casually receiving a fresh ball, I aimed at the outside borderline and threw another four-seam fastball.
Whoosh!
“Strike! Two!”
This time he didn’t offer at the pitch.
Did he judge it as too far away? Or did he deliberately lay off an outside pitch he wasn’t confident about? I couldn’t say.
But with two pitches still remaining, I threw a changeup aimed at the inside borderline.
Flinch!
Ji Dong-hyun flinched.
The bat came out but didn’t complete the swing, so when I asked the umpire for a ruling, he said it didn’t rotate.
With the ball call, the count is now 1 ball, 2 strikes.
I decided to throw a changeup as my decisive pitch, hurling it with all my might straight into the Home Plate.
“Ball!”
Ji Dong-hyun didn’t move.
It was as if he’d anticipated it, and thanks to that, my last pitch of conviction became a ball in the most anticlimactic way possible.
– Stamina: 0
From now on, every pitch I throw won’t have the system’s assistance.
And this was my first time throwing on the Mound against a professional without the system’s aid.
Lower outside the four-seam fastball.
So I chose to aim for the outside.
Since it was just a pitch I’d let go carelessly before, if luck was on my side and it caught the Strike Zone, I could achieve my goal with this one.
With that resolve, I threw the ball.
And then I realized it.
“Ah….”
What a wild pitch was, and that it dropped lower than I’d anticipated.
Without the system, the ball I threw easily escaped my control.
But the heavens seemed to be telling me to achieve my record.
The ball drove straight into the Home Plate.
Whoosh—!
Ji Dong-hyun’s bat cut through empty air, and in that moment, the ball struck Myung-su’s chest protector and bounced to the side.
A foul strike situation.
Myung-su looked around searching for the ball, and from the Dugout came shouts.
“To the side! To the side!”
“Left! Left, dammit!”
“Hurry!”
Fortunately, Myung-su quickly found the ball and hurriedly threw it to First Base.
“Out!”
With that, I’d set a new record, surpassing the previous mark: 19 strikeouts in a single game.
Realizing this, my legs gave out beneath me.
– Stamina: -1
For the first time, I could see the number had gone into the negatives.
Noticing that my strength had drained, Yu Sang-jae, the Third Base player, quickly rushed over and supported me.
“Hey! Are you alright?!”
I shook my head.
Honestly, I’m not alright.
Whether it was because my stamina had dropped into the negatives, my body felt as heavy as a sponge completely soaked in water.
Part of me even wanted to collapse right then and there.
But my heart—my heart pounding like mad—was announcing the fact that I’d achieved my record, powerfully breathing vitality back into my body.
And before my eyes, another message appeared that filled me with joy.
– You’ve achieved a new single-game strikeout record.
– As a reward, 10 points have been added.
The reward from breaking this record was incredibly sweet.
With Yu Sang-jae’s support, I entered the Dugout while hearing the roar of the fans.
“You did well, Ho-jin. The rest is up to us seniors.”
“Yes, Manager. Thank you for your hard work.”
“Good. Get some rest.”
Following his words, I received help from the Pitching Coach and began icing.
Now all that remained was the bottom of the 8th inning.
Perhaps because of the record achievement, the Dugout erupted with powerful encouragement, and the Batters who stepped up to the plate relentlessly pressured the opposing Pitcher.
Was it because of the sudden tension that gripped the Ground? The Salamanders’ infield, which had been focused until now, committed their first error.
And our batting lineup didn’t miss the opportunity, immediately capitalizing on it.
Singles and extra-base hits began flying, and soon the Captain’s three-run homer erupted, instantly turning the score into a 0:7 big inning.
And Choi Sung-hyuk took the mound for the final stretch of the game.
His signature heavy fastball found the Catcher’s glove.
Oh, by the way, Myung-su was sprawled out next to me in a complete daze.
After catching my pitches through the 8th inning, he’d poured out every ounce of his stamina and mental fortitude, now sitting blankly on the Bench and staring at the ceiling.
I wanted to say a word of encouragement to my hardworking junior, but I didn’t have the strength to move a finger, so I simply turned my gaze back to the Ground.
Choi Sung-hyuk, thinking of the comfortable lead, threw pitches that never strayed from the Strike Zone, finishing the game by striking out 3 batters with just 14 pitches.
– Points have been awarded.
As the winning Pitcher and record-breaker, I was selected as the Player of the Game, naturally earning one additional point.
11 points in a single game.
Truly a wonderful day.
* * *
Daegu Salamanders versus Busan Dolphins broadcast.
The Caster’s voice rings out.
“Out! Not out, strikeout out! With that, Kang Ho-jin has achieved a new KBO record!”
[Single-game strikeout record broken: 18K → 19K. The protagonist is Busan Dolphins’ Kang Ho-jin!]
[Kang Ho-jin struck out 19 batters with 101 pitches!]
[With the record achieved, Kang Ho-jin’s strength gave way. He silently achieved a new record under immense pressure and burden!]
[Breaking a 25-year-old tie record in one fell swoop! The remarkable performance of a rookie Pitcher!]
[The Dolphins, who always gave up great records, have now written one!]
[Busan is in festival mode right now! Thanks to Kang Ho-jin’s performance, Busan’s evening is buzzing with excitement!]
Articles about Kang Ho-jin instantly flooded the sports section.
While some stadiums still had games ongoing, they seemed to have no interest—only articles about Kang Ho-jin of the Dolphins appeared.
Dolphins fans celebrating the record achievement didn’t just activate the Community; for the first time in a while, the servers lagged slightly from the sheer volume of celebratory posts.
The event created by Kang Ho-jin’s record achievement, combined with the Dolphins’ victory, had a massive impact on Busan’s economy.
Bars and restaurants that had been showing the game recorded their highest Saturday sales, and even bars that stayed open late into the night after the game and broadcast baseball saw higher-than-usual revenue.
“Record achieved! Pour it! Drink! Let’s go all out!”
“This round’s on me! Come on!”
“Days like today are what we live for!”
“Ten years of pent-up frustration just melted away!”
The Dolphins fans, whose hearts had grown weary from witnessing defeat after defeat, felt their chests finally open with relief as they raised their glasses in jubilation.
With the team that was supposed to be rebuilding this year performing so brilliantly, the fans were already anticipating next season with eager hope.
And above all, many fans found themselves wishing the cherry blossoms would bloom early, dreaming of the day when Kang Ho-jin, now elevated to team ace, would take the mound as the opening day starter.
Tonight was the finest evening the Dolphins fans had experienced in a long time.

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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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