The Genius Pitcher Dad Throws for His Daughter - Chapter 91

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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 91
#91.
Two days.
During those precious, fleeting hours, I never left my Daughter’s side.
It felt as though I’d merely closed my eyes for a moment before opening them again.
I deliberately slept in the Hospital Room to keep vigil, and after the first night, I received a sharp smack on my back the second evening.
“Oh, you rascal!”
“Ow, that hurts.”
It’s strange.
Despite all my rigorous training and muscle development, Mother’s back-smacking technique somehow remains painfully effective, no matter how much time passes.
I reached back to soothe the sting, but couldn’t quite reach the spot, so I could only writhe in discomfort.
“You made us wait until late last night. You could have at least called.”
“I’m… I’m sorry.”
Only then did I realize I hadn’t contacted my Parents, and I felt genuinely remorseful for making them wait so late into the night.
“You’ll come home today, won’t you?”
“Yes. I need to head back down tomorrow.”
“Alright then. I’ll wait for you at home.”
Mother excused herself, insisting I spend time with Ye-jin.
Thanks to her, I was able to spend the evening with my Daughter, and I managed to greet all the Nurses who had been caring for her.
“You’re a fan!”
“Oh my! What should we do! You’re so handsome!”
“We really love you!”
“Leave Ye-jin in our capable hands!”
Four Nurses in total.
Starting with Baek Bom, whom I’d seen yesterday, I was absolutely astonished to discover they were actually quadruplet sisters.
Their names were Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter in order. Upon closer inspection, subtle differences were visible between them, which fortunately made them easy to distinguish.
Learning they were fans of mine and that they cared so much for my Daughter, I retrieved a uniform from my bag, signed it, and gave it to them.
“I wore it once, but I had it thoroughly cleaned.”
“We love it!”
When all four of them said that simultaneously, it was slightly unnerving.
In any case, I graciously gave them the signed uniform and took photos with them.
“If anything comes up, we’ll contact you right away through Professor Jin, so don’t worry.”
“Thank you so much.”
My peace of mind had grown considerably since arriving here.
With my Attending Nurse being a fan and caring so much for my Daughter, there couldn’t be a better environment.
That evening, I took my Parents to the Pork Restaurant.
“Welcome, our ace!”
The Restaurant Owner greeted me enthusiastically once again.
Though I could have grilled the meat myself, he personally cooked it for us, and today as well, I was able to enjoy a satisfying meal with several premium cuts.
“Heh heh. You must be so proud, having such a fine son like this.”
“Not yet.”
“Come on. You’re doing it again.”
Jang President and my father seemed quite close.
This was actually surprising.
Before I returned to the past, my father was similar to me. Whether it was the grief of losing my granddaughter, he spoke less than usual and rarely laughed heartily.
Whenever I saw him, only awkward silence flowed between us, and it was my mother who struggled each time.
My father was laughing and chatting with Jang President and other guests, and my mother was also conversing comfortably with others.
I felt deeply grateful that they were spending time in this new place with new connections and in such a positive way.
After spending a day at home like that, the next morning arrived.
“Then, I’ll be going.”
“All right. Take care of yourself.”
“Son, have a safe trip.”
With my parents’ farewells, I boarded the KTX to Busan and then headed to Gimhae Airport.
The second Spring Training session was in Japan.
* * *
I arrived in Miyazaki.
Even though it was still late February, the air here was already warm and humid.
Thanks to that, it was perfect for training, and now only the final adjustments remained.
And when I was assigned a room, the only players on the team with private rooms were Se-jin, myself, and the Foreign Pitcher.
“I understand about him, but why me?”
At that, Se-jin laughed and said.
“You didn’t come last year, so you wouldn’t know. Our Manager only gives private rooms to players who will pitch in the starting rotation. It’s to manage yourselves well before the season starts.”
From those words, I understood that I had been assigned to the starting rotation this year as well.
Though it’s self-praise, considering my performance last year, it might be natural. I had pitched enough innings, gave up few runs, and demonstrated pitching that overwhelmed batters.
So I wondered who would get the remaining room, and Choi Jin-ha arrived late.
“….”
He stood blankly in front of his door for quite a while.
His face was almost on the verge of tears, and with an expression of deep emotion, he repeatedly grabbed and released the doorknob before finally entering the room.
Seeing that, Se-jin and I exchanged subtle smiles as we watched.
I hoped Choi Jin-ha would do well this year too.
After unpacking at the dormitory, I moved my body lightly in the afternoon for warm-ups.
It was because I hadn’t exercised even once while staying by my daughter’s side.
While everyone else rested, exercised, or went sightseeing, I jogged around the sports field alone and contemplated.
‘How should I invest the remaining points….’
This was the issue now.
Before going to Spring Training, I had 15 points.
From there, I consumed 1 point each to learn the slider and fork ball.
Since I wasn’t just registering a pitch type but learning someone else’s pitch, I learned it for 1 point instead of 5.
And while learning the changeup from Byun Hee-su, I consumed 1 point and my rank increased. In truth, this was no different from me investing points to raise my rank, but since I learned more theoretically, it didn’t feel wasteful.
I consumed 3 points learning pitch types, and 1 point on the slider for the practice game against the Gwangju Elephants.
Thus, there were still 11 points remaining, and assuming I’d save 1 point, I had 10 points to allocate.
‘Hmm… this is a tough choice.’
The most glaring area was undoubtedly my fastball velocity.
With my current top speed at 152km, reaching even 155km would make it tremendously difficult for batters to catch up to my pitches.
I could also upgrade my pitch types.
Aside from my forkball, everything was already C-rank or higher.
If I upgraded them further, batters would lose their minds.
My stamina was solid.
‘Hyun-im has been so helpful with his training methods….’
That was true.
Hyun-im’s training approach fit my body perfectly, and thanks to him, I’d managed to raise my stamina by 10 points over the past month alone.
Combined with the Spring Camp workouts, I’d gained another 8 points, and now my body could throw 120 pitches.
120 pitches was enough to comfortably complete a nine-inning game.
Anything less would be fine, but anything more meant that day’s game was anything but normal—it would be chaotic and exceptional.
‘Well, there’s no rush.’
Pitchers rarely reach peak condition during Spring Camp.
The Regular League doesn’t start until after the second Spring Camp and the exhibition games conclude.
Many players time their conditioning to peak by then, so there’s no need to stress myself out with calculations right now.
Instead, I could pitch moderately through the exhibition games, then gradually boost my velocity and pitch types once the Regular League begins, dominating batters and earning points steadily.
‘Still… I should make some adjustments.’
So I spent 3 points, pouring them all into velocity.
– Top Velocity: 155km.
That secured me 96 miles per hour.
* * *
The second Spring Camp focused on refinement rather than intensive training.
And above all, the number of participants dropped dramatically.
The roster that had been 62 players during the first camp shrank to just 38 in an instant.
Considering that 24 players had moved to the 2nd Team Spring Camp, the atmosphere had definitely become quieter.
The Dolphins kept players who could cover center field and shortstop among their many defensive positions in the 1st Team camp.
Both were crucial positions.
They couldn’t be filled haphazardly, and the organization was bustling about, testing as many candidates as possible to find the optimal talent.
“Hello!”
“Nice to meet you!”
The Dolphins’ foreign player slots were finally completely filled.
The foreign mercenary batter who signed went by the name Sammy Jane.
An Australian batter with weaknesses in both offense and defense, he was selected with his friendliness and adaptability in mind.
Moreover, he was from the same country as Kevin and had some prior connection with him, and Kevin’s personal commitment to helping him adapt earned the player bonus points.
And in the Asia quota slot came a Japanese pitcher.
His name was Rendo Juro.
A player with a name resembling a character from an anime that had recently taken the world by storm had just joined the team.
The Dolphins’ fanbase reacted immediately to the two players’ signings.
– The foreign mercenary batter seems like someone who values camaraderie and team chemistry.
└ Yeah, that’s worth acknowledging.
└ A batter that fits the rebuilding phase.
└ At least we won’t have to see him breaking bats and throwing tantrums every time he strikes out.
└ Better late than never—it’s a choice made for the team’s sake.
– Anyway, I’m most worried about that Japanese pitcher.
└ His hair is red and blonde?
└ He’s probably going to devour his lunch box deliciously.
└ Looks like he’ll have a bright smile.
└ Something tells me he’ll end up burning bright and spectacular before it’s all over.
While the foreign mercenary batter was received fairly positively, the fans directed oddly specific comments exclusively toward the Japanese pitcher.
Despite legitimate posts appearing in between, they were buried under the sheer volume of commentary, and before long, that character description had become the Japanese pitcher’s nickname.
Regardless, Bong Jun-sik, the Dolphins’ Manager, gathered the players and clapped his hands.
“Alright! Focus!”
As the players turned their attention to him, the Manager’s mouth opened.
“This year, we’re going after two rabbits with one stone.”
Because he spoke in Korean, the Interpreters standing beside the foreign mercenaries quickly translated.
“We’re rebuilding, but we’re a team aiming for the championship. Don’t forget the sweat, passion, and effort we’ve poured out until now. We’re challengers, but we’re a team that can become champions at any moment.”
If another team had heard the Manager’s words, they would have laughed outright.
They would have fact-checked him thoroughly, saying those weren’t words that could come from a team that hadn’t won a championship even once since 1992.
But there was no one here to point that out.
“We evaluate strictly based on individual performance. During the remaining Spring Training, fight to claim your own spot.”
With those words, as training began, the fire blazed fiercely in the eyes of the Dolphins’ players.
They were a squad striving to secure one of the few remaining starting positions, or at the very least, a spot on the bench.
As training continued in Miyazaki, the schedule for practice games was finally set.
It was against the Suwon Wolves—last year’s champions and defending champions.

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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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