The Genius Pitcher Dad Throws for His Daughter - Chapter 90

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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 90
#90.
Week 4 of Spring Camp.
Manager Bong Jun-sik and the coaching staff gathered for a meeting.
“It’s definitely… going well these days, right?”
At Manager Bong Jun-sik’s words, everyone nodded vigorously in agreement.
With just a touch of exaggeration, it wouldn’t be an overstatement to call this a record-breaking Spring Camp.
The reason for such praise was simple—now at week 4.
Dolphins roster: 62 players.
Injured players: 0.
Not a single one.
“….”
A brief silence fell over the conference room.
Someone let out a hollow laugh,
while another shook his head.
“Is this… real?”
For those who had been present at this same event last year, the number was almost impossible to believe.
Just last year, 48 players had come, and 9 had been sidelined by injuries.
On top of that, 4 had caused trouble while drunk, and 2 had gone on strike and returned to Korea.
Essentially, only 33 players had completed the 1st Team camp, and even among those remaining, all but a few seemed to lack motivation.
But this year was different.
The camp roster alone was already record-breaking, and the General Manager had personally come all the way to Guam to manage such a massive group, while the Front Office staff responded swiftly to every need.
After a single internet broadcast, the Team Owner suddenly opened his wallet, sweeping up baseball equipment to donate, and even went so far as to assign additional personnel to prevent injuries.
Frankly, this camp was one where if players simply trained hard, everything else would fall into place naturally.
As a result, the players’ focus was extraordinary—not a single one falling behind or shirking, they all trained with absolute dedication.
“Well then, let’s hear the reports.”
At Manager Bong Jun-sik’s words, each coach began their report.
“Kevin and Meck are gradually building up their physical condition. Given their late arrival, we’ve instructed them not to rush, and to prepare their bodies for the regular season rather than the exhibition games.”
The two foreign pitchers who had joined the team late.
Despite their eagerness to prepare quickly due to their late arrival, the Pitching Coach had actually instructed them to take it slow. He understood that rushing their preparation only to suffer an injury would be far more costly.
“Kang Ho-jin and Kim Se-jin are flawless, needless to say.”
At the Pitching Coach’s words, the Senior Coach and Battery Coach both nodded in agreement.
Kim Se-jin had gone down determined to prepare for this year starting from the latter half of last season, and from that point on, the two had prepared meticulously—so much so that Kang Ho-jin had arrived a month early to train together.
While others were just beginning to throw seriously, these two were already like pitchers preparing for the season. Essentially, aside from technical refinements, there were no issues whatsoever.
“Choi Jin-ha appears fully capable of fulfilling his role this year as well.”
Following last year, he had confidently claimed a spot in the 5th starter rotation again.
He, who had found success in controlling his pitching tempo, now seemed more solid than before—perhaps because his mental aspect had matured as well.
“For the Clutch Team, I’m thinking Kim Jin-ho, Jo Sang-hyuk, Jung Ji-hoon, and Choi Sung-hyuk. They’ve shown fierce determination to perform better this year than last, and they’re genuinely the best we have.”
“So with that, we’ve filled the 5th starter and Clutch Team slots.”
With this, 9 pitcher slots had been filled.
Now the remaining four roster spots will be contested among the remaining pitchers.
The Battery Coach continued his report.
“I think we should start with Kang Do-bin, Bang Ho-gun, and Hyun Myung-su, just like last year. Especially Myung-su—training alongside Se-jin and Ho-jin has clearly paid dividends. His defensive metrics and batting indicators have all improved across the board.”
Until last year, Kang Do-bin had been the starting catcher.
He was solid both defensively and offensively, and from the latter half of last season onward, he’d maintained consistent performance throughout.
Bang Ho-gun made for a capable backup.
Particularly, he possessed an uncanny ability to detect subtle differences in how bullpen pitchers warmed up, earning their trust and confidence.
Finally, Hyun Myung-su had transformed completely.
Originally neither a defensive specialist nor an offensive threat, once he began synchronizing with Kang Ho-jin, he didn’t just improve—he attended Spring Training together with them and rapidly ascended to a level comparable to Kang Do-bin.
To put it bluntly, we could now operate with a two-catcher system without issue, and we could even let starting pitchers choose between the two.
“At least we don’t have to worry about the catcher position.”
While developing talent at other positions was difficult, no resource was as precious as a quality catcher.
Squatting throughout entire games took its toll on the knees, and the cartilage in their joints deteriorated daily from the heavy equipment and constant blocking.
It was a position where playing an entire season alone was grueling, so having a two-catcher system with an additional catcher earning the team’s trust was nothing short of a blessing.
“For the infield, we’ll lock in Han Seok-do at first base and Choi Ji-ho at second base. For the outfield, aside from Ham Ji-ha in left field, we don’t yet have any players we can definitively confirm.”
Yeo Hyung-gu, who had previously played right field, retired after last season.
Even when offered a coaching position, he declined, saying he needed to step away from baseball for a while, leaving the spot vacant.
The remaining Ground roster slots are third base, shortstop, center field, and right field.
Designated hitter duties will primarily be split between Captain Lee Ki-ha and our foreign mercenary.
Of the 29 registered players, we currently have 16 confirmed starters.
We need to select 13 more between pitchers and position players, with 2 names merely registered on paper.
“So we need to account for two slots differently.”
One of those two is for a foreign mercenary batter, and the other is for the Asia Quota system being implemented this year.
Manager Bong Jun-sik made this request to General Manager Park Ju-ho.
Rather than pure skill, he asked for someone who fit the team’s chemistry. Whether the rebuilding that began last year concludes this year or extends into next year remains uncertain, but he wanted a player who could adapt and integrate during that period.
Since the Dolphins were looking at longer-term contracts rather than short-term deals, they simply hadn’t yet found the right player to match those criteria.
“Overall, it’s not bad. Actually, I think this is the first year I’ve felt this much anticipation.”
That was the Senior Coach’s overall assessment.
The Team Owner’s support, the Front Office’s cooperation, and the field staff’s dedication aligned seamlessly, with everyone training diligently and earnestly.
The benefits were evident from the original decision to reduce practice games in the first camp and increase team training to build chemistry.
“What about the practice game schedule for the second camp?”
“A total of eleven games. And the Front Office also plans to broadcast several of them.”
The Dolphins Front Office had seen considerable success from the previous broadcast.
Even the Elephants, who had merely contributed on the sidelines, apparently benefited enough to offer active assistance next time.
Reports indicated that other teams were also eager to participate, with General Manager Park Ju-ho and Team Owner’s Granddaughter Shin Se-a walking around with smiles.
“During the remaining time, focus heavily on selecting a shortstop and center fielder. A solid center line gives the pitchers confidence.”
The center line—a baseball term for those defending the central area of the field.
With the catcher and second baseman settled but shortstop and center field still undetermined, the meeting concluded with a commitment to focus on selecting those defensive anchors.
Even after the meeting ended, no one rose from their seats.
Now the atmosphere shifted from business-like to relaxed, with various conversations flowing freely.
“I’m really looking forward to it because it feels more worthwhile than last year.”
“Worthwhile?”
The Senior Coach let out a snort of laughter.
“Did it feel worthwhile last year?”
“….”
Silence hung for a moment before a hollow laugh escaped.
“Back then, we were just enduring it.”
“That’s right. We were just enduring it.”
“But now….”
I continued.
“There’s a real sense of wanting to give it our all, isn’t there?”
Everyone’s heads nodded in agreement.
And so the Dolphins finished their fourth week and returned to Korea.
The first Spring Camp had come to an end.
* * *
Upon returning to Korea, I went straight to see my Daughter.
My steps were hurried.
I had been separated from my Daughter for over two months.
Since my Daughter had fallen ill, I had never been apart from her for this long, so from the day I returned to Korea until the moment the plane touched down, I was restless and anxious.
I exited the Airport and took a taxi.
Passing through Yeongjong Bridge and entering Seoul, I remained anxious even during the drive to my Daughter’s Hospital.
It was ridiculous.
During the Spring Training and Spring Camp, I had thought of my Daughter, but I hadn’t been this uneasy or anxious.
I had been receiving regular updates from the Nurse, and my Mother had visited and assured me that my Daughter was doing well, so I had simply nodded and focused entirely on training and exercise.
‘But now that I’m finally here….’
With only minutes remaining, I was making a fuss over nothing, which felt absurd.
That thought calmed my wavering heart.
“Thank you.”
I got out of the taxi and entered the Hospital.
The large bag on my back felt cumbersome. Thanks to people stepping aside when they saw it, I was able to move faster, and soon I stood before the Hospital Room door.
“….”
I couldn’t bring myself to enter.
My hand froze on the doorknob.
Surely nothing was wrong.
I had been told she was doing well.
For some reason, with only a door between us, it felt as though we were in different worlds.
*Creak.*
Only by steeling myself did I finally enter the Hospital Room.
I made my way toward the window seat where my Daughter was, and the moment had come to see my precious little princess still lost in dreams.
“Huh?!”
A strange woman sat there holding a book.
Before I could say anything about the unfamiliar person sitting there, what caught my eye was the nurse’s uniform. And other small children sat beside the nurse, looking at the book in her hands together.
“Are you the guardian of patient Kang Ye-jin?”
I nodded at the Nurse’s question.
Then she stood up, sent the children back to their seats, and turned to me with a gentle smile.
“I’m Baek Bom, the 24-hour on-site nursing staff.”
“I’m Kang Ho-jin.”
“I know. You’re going to be our Dolphins’ greatest ace. I received the signed ball well too.”
I thanked the Nurse for her greeting.
Looking at the picture book still in her hands, she hid it behind her back slightly embarrassed as she spoke.
“I was reading picture books to the children, and I thought it would be nice if Ye-jin listened along too. I’m sorry for doing it without telling you first.”
Knowing that this was the Nurse’s thoughtfulness toward Ye-jin sleeping alone, I felt grateful instead.
“Not at all. I should be thanking you.”
Because the Nurse was here, I was able to hear news about Ye-jin all this time.
“She’s sleeping well. She even had good color in her complexion sometimes, as if she were having pleasant dreams.”
At those words, I could finally release all the anxiety and restlessness I had been feeling alone.
“Thank you.”
After the Nurse left and I was alone, I reached out toward my Daughter and spoke.
“Dad’s here.”
I murmured softly and grasped her hand.
It was warm.
“During this Spring Training, there were quite a few things that happened.”
There was no answer, but somehow it felt like she was listening.
So I told my Daughter about everything that had happened until the Hospital Room grew dark.
So that sleeping Ye-jin wouldn’t be bored.
And so that she could smile.
Quietly.
For 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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