The Genius Pitcher Dad Throws for His Daughter - Chapter 8

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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 8
#08.
I ate one more meal prepared by my Mother early in the morning before setting out.
The original plan was to stay by my Daughter’s side during the day and head down to Sangdong in the evening.
But at my Mother’s insistence, I had no choice but to board a train heading to Busan instead.
I’d initially intended to go to Suwon to rejoin the team, but the Coach told me there was no need and to go directly to Sangdong instead.
‘Actually, I prefer it this way.’
To be honest, heading to Sangdong was something I welcomed.
I used the points earned from the last game to treat my elbow.
‘Status window.’
[Kang Ho-jin]
– Maximum Stamina: 59
– Top Velocity: 147km
– Pitch Arsenal: Four-Seam Fastball (D), Changeup (E), Curveball (F)
– Acquired Skills: Healing (S)
– Special Notes:
– Remaining Points: 0
The status window had changed.
Since I’d healed all my injuries, the special notes section should have been empty, and after treating my shoulder and correcting my throwing form, my top velocity had increased.
‘Wait, my stamina increased too?’
The number had only gone up by one, but it had definitely gone up.
I wasn’t sure of the details, but I decided to think of it this way.
‘Home cooking really is the best. Stamina goes up too. Thank you, Mother.’
Did the truth matter? I just needed to be grateful for the improvement.
Setting that aside, there was a specific reason I’d opened the status window now.
It was about the value of my pitches.
‘I don’t know what these grades actually mean.’
The Four-Seam Fastball was D-rank.
In comparison, the Changeup was E-rank, and the Curveball was F-rank.
‘I thought there might be some change when I altered my throwing form, but there’s still nothing?’
When my throwing form changed, the grip on both pitches shifted slightly as well. I’d expected something to change, but there was nothing noticeable.
At least the silver lining was that they were good enough for professional 2nd Team play.
Or more accurately, they were honestly a bit lacking.
The Changeup still felt awkward even after my shoulder healed, lacking power subtly, and the Curveball put strain on my elbow, so I’d always thrown it with tension until now.
But now my body was in perfect condition.
So I wondered if the pitches in this status window might improve as well.
‘Let me think about it once I arrive in Sangdong.’
Not today.
Despite having spent points to heal my body, I was still recovering from yesterday’s start. I’d thrown a full pitch count and hadn’t gotten proper rest after meeting my Daughter.
Once was enough experience with desperately trying to rebuild a broken body.
I would manage it thoroughly.
‘Keep it light—just running and stretching.’
Today I would focus on recovery, and starting tomorrow, I would begin pitching.
The bullpen pitching session scheduled for tomorrow filled me with anticipation.
* * *
At that same moment.
The second game against the Suwon Wolves.
The final score was 3 to 12.
An overwhelming victory for the Suwon Wolves.
The cause was the starting pitcher collapsing early. While Kang Ho-jin was on the mound, the Wolves’ batters seemed restrained, but once he left, they unleashed their frustration, pounding the pitchers relentlessly.
As a result, they gave up 12 runs over six innings, and despite deploying four pitchers, none of them could effectively shut them down.
‘The starting rotation is the problem.’
The primary reason for the team’s low ranking in the Southern League was the lack of a proper starting pitcher—which meant no one capable of eating up long innings.
What made matters worse was that even the 1st Team had the same issue. Apart from the foreign pitcher and the homegrown right-hander who had remained with the Dolphins for years, there was no decent starting rotation.
Many rookies had been brought in while maintaining the lower standings, yet none of them had broken through. The evidence lay in the pitchers scattered across the 2nd Team and development squad.
‘At least Ho-jin broke through—that’s something to be grateful for.’
The first game with Kang Ho-jin’s appearance and his pitching performance against the Gwangju Elephants last week came to mind.
Though the sudden change in his pitching form had prevented opposing batters from adjusting properly, what truly mattered was how drastically his pitching style had transformed.
Kang Ho-jin had been the type to give up walks after throwing escape pitches, or surrender runs by getting hit while trying to get ahead in the count.
But now he was actively attacking the strike zone and seemed to be developing decent control.
‘Once his stamina improves a bit more, I’ll promote him.’
From what he’d heard, his control was solid up to 58 pitches, but beyond that, it still proved difficult.
Since that number came not from all-out effort alone but from pace management, it essentially meant he could control fewer pitches with consistency.
While using him in the bullpen as a closer or setup man wouldn’t be a bad option, what both the 1st and 2nd Teams desperately needed right now was a starting pitcher capable of eating innings.
Still, having one pitcher emerge was better than having none at all.
‘And those three as well.’
The pitchers who had been pounded through six innings.
But the three pitchers who took one inning each afterward pitched as if they were part of the Clutch Team, each flawlessly retiring their inning.
Those three were the pitchers who had recently been spending time with Kang Ho-jin, doing Pilates together every evening.
They were a trio known for their wide-ranging interests and getting along well with everyone regardless of seniority.
The sudden strong performance from those who had once been called prospects but were now at an age where people joked they were past their prime was quite striking.
Manager Jang Si-hwan found himself wondering if perhaps the time had come for a new restructuring of the pitching staff.
He was curious what kind of synergy might emerge if he paired Kang Ho-jin as the starter with those three in the bullpen.
‘And there’s a perfect opportunity coming up.’
That game would be against a Southern League team in a few days.
A place where players temporarily served to fulfill their military obligation—essentially the Sangmu Military Team, which boasted players of 1st Team caliber.
That stage seemed perfect for testing those four.
‘This is going to get interesting.’
Manager Jang Si-hwan felt a fresh wind blowing through the stagnant 2nd Team for the first time in a while.
* * *
The Busan Dolphins’ 2nd Team returned late at night after completing their two-game away series.
Regardless of how far they had traveled for those games, their training continued the very next day.
“Move faster, will you?! If you’re struggling this much, how do you expect to survive in the 1st Team?!”
The Coach’s words—delivered with brutal honesty—erased all traces of fatigue from every player’s face.
Instead, they threw themselves into training with renewed vigor and determination.
I too trained alongside them, burning with my own singular purpose.
‘I want to pitch so badly.’
I was so eager to feel how the ball would leave my fully recovered arm that I hadn’t slept a wink all night.
As a result, dark circles had settled beneath my eyes, but rather than exhaustion, I felt an overwhelming desire to get out there and throw.
Pitching practice was scheduled for the afternoon.
In the morning, we warmed up our bodies with running and stretching, properly and methodically preparing ourselves for the pitching practice that awaited us later.
“Huff! Huff!”
It was around the time when only the pitchers remained, the position players having left for defensive drills.
“Hey! Did you rest well?”
“How was the trip?!”
“Didn’t even take an extra day off and came straight back, huh.”
Three senior pitchers crowded around me.
They all looked pleased.
I understood why. Yesterday, they had each taken the mound for one inning, and among all the pitchers, they were the only ones who hadn’t given up a run despite allowing hits and walks.
“It really seems to be helping.”
“Honestly, when throwing, there’s this sense that the ball is gripping better than usual, you know?”
“Even came back to the dormitory and practiced before bed yesterday.”
The three seniors chattered away.
Jo Sang-hyuk, who had taken the mound in the seventh inning yesterday and given up a hit.
Jung Ji-hoon, who had come up in the eighth, given a walk to the first batter, but then settled down without wavering.
Choi Sung-hyuk, who had pitched the final inning and shut it down with two strikeouts and a ground ball.
All three were good seniors.
“I heard the news. Congratulations.”
While thanking me for my congratulations, they playfully jabbed my ribs, crediting the Pilates techniques I had taught them for their success.
Though they joked around, they quickly returned to their training with seriousness.
Of course, their mouths never stopped moving, but listening to them, there was something deeply human about it that felt good.
Before I returned to the past, this era had been nothing but a cesspool of despair and regret—so now, hearing their idle chatter somehow felt pleasant.
The seniors had so much to talk about that they continued exchanging stories and asking me questions throughout lunch, and I spent the time answering them.
And as time passed, the long-awaited pitching practice finally arrived.
“Hah….”
The pitching started with the senior pitchers going first.
Those who had thrown heavily yesterday did light pitching for assessment purposes, while those who had thrown less in the bullpen threw at full strength to gauge their physical condition.
Thwack!
The sharp sound of the ball striking the Catcher’s glove filled the bullpen, and everyone took turns stepping onto and off the Mound with various emotions crossing their faces.
“Next, Kang Ho-jin.”
And then it was my turn.
“Phew…”
First, a four-seam fastball.
Until recently, it had been a D-rank four-seam fastball. As I shook off the shoulder injury, I recovered some of the velocity I’d lost, and the pitch’s effectiveness had increased.
Thwack—!
The moment the ball struck the Catcher’s glove, my senior tilted his head in confusion.
The Coach holding the radar gun opened his eyes wide in surprise.
“149…?”
For a moment, the Bullpen fell silent.
In that instant, my velocity climbed even higher.
That wasn’t all.
– Four-seam fastball rank has increased. D→C
Remarkably, changes appeared in my status window as well.
As if celebrating that this was my four-seam from my prime and I’d reclaimed its power.
I threw again and my senior caught it.
Thwack—!
“Wow… what is this? The pitch quality is insane?”
As if proving the rank had risen, my velocity had risen too.
Kang Do-bin, the senior catching, pulled out the ball I’d thrown and examined it carefully, then tossed me a fresh one. Without hesitation, I threw it the same way.
Thwack—!
“Phew… crazy.”
My senior looked at me in amazement.
After that, hitting 149 km repeatedly, it proved that the increase in velocity wasn’t a fluke—my speed had genuinely improved.
“What’s going on? What’s happening?”
“Why is he suddenly this good?”
“Wow… I’m so jealous.”
The seniors and juniors watching all stared at me with astonished expressions.
After throwing a few more times, they all opened their mouths and gazed in wonder.
“Next, I’ll throw a changeup.”
This time, a changeup.
Thrown with the same arm action as the fastball, the off-speed pitch that should drop sharply before home plate—Kang Do-bin couldn’t catch it cleanly and it slipped past him.
– Changeup rank has increased. E→D
The changeup’s rank rose in an instant.
And seeing my senior’s flustered reaction proving it, I barely suppressed the smile threatening to break across my face.
‘Now it finally feels like my prime changeup.’
The changeup had never been a primary pitch anyway. I’d only mixed it in occasionally to confuse the batter’s mind, so my proficiency with it wasn’t that high.
“Curveball next.”
But this was my era too, and the pitch I relied on most during my prime was none other than the curveball.
“Hup!”
I threw the curveball without hesitation.
The ball slipped from my fingertips, arcing high into the air before plummeting in a graceful curve.
Crack!
Before the Catcher could even react, the ball struck Home Plate and bounced away.
The atmosphere around the field stirred with energy.
– Curveball rank increased. F→B
Another cheer erupted from the crowd.
And I understood.
– Optimal condition has been restored.
– Points acquired.
– Growth other than stamina is only possible by investing points.
I had finally reached the perfect starting point.
And the Pitching Coach spoke.
“You’re falling just like my stock portfolio chart…”
Ah… Coach…
I felt tears welling up.

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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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