The Genius Pitcher Dad Throws for His Daughter - Chapter 94

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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 94
#94.
Consciousness was returning to me.
I wanted to open my eyes, but they wouldn’t obey.
So I thought.
‘What happened…?’
At least I remembered throwing the ball from the Mound.
I’d thrown it in sync with the sound coming through the PitchCom.
But from the very start, I’d given up a leadoff home run, and then the batters that followed had strung together consecutive hits and walks until everything collapsed.
Four runs allowed without recording a single out.
It was the worst pitching I could recall ever throwing—so abysmal I wondered if I’d ever performed that poorly before.
I’d been half-dragged off the Mound, and sitting on the Bench, I’d heard the Coach shouting something at me.
And after being dragged away again and getting into the car, my memory went blank.
‘What is this…?’
As I strained to recall the situation I couldn’t quite believe, my eyes gradually opened.
A pristine white ceiling.
And the alcohol scent brushing past my nose told me where I was.
It was a sight and smell commonly found in the place where my Daughter was always present whenever I wasn’t playing baseball.
Coming to my senses and looking beside me, there was no one.
Turning my head to gaze outside, I could see Busan’s nightscape indicating it was the middle of the night, and I realized this was the largest Hospital near the Baseball Stadium.
As I stared blankly at it for a moment, I heard a vibration sound.
I picked up my phone from a distance away, and saw a message from Mother.
– Son, are you alright?
Only then did I hurriedly enter the sports news section and could see the articles.
[Kang Ho-jin collapsed without recording a single out. Is this a sophomore jinx?!]
[Sophomore jinx! Collapsed starting pitcher! This is why jinxes are terrifying!]
[The Rookie of the Year who showed his best form last year? Was he really worthy of that title?!]
[The worst pitching in the exhibition game. And the team’s defeat. Where does the fault lie?!]
Even though all ten teams had started their exhibition games simultaneously, the articles were only about me.
As if they’d been waiting for my downfall, the articles poured in, and as if that weren’t enough, similar content continued to be uploaded at this very moment.
I was dumbfounded by their eager response, but what was surprising was that Dolphins fans had stepped up on every sports article.
– Don’t mind those trash reporters, hang in there, Kang Ho-jin.
– Right. Those bastards are the first ones to write about it if you perform well.
– Damn right. Those trash reporters deserve to get beaten.
– You’d think we were a criminal organization to hear them talk.
– If one bad game gets this kind of coverage, why don’t other teams get it?
– Hey, reporters. Let’s be fair about this.
I was slightly moved by how everyone was defending me.
Especially the Dolphins fans, who were fighting fiercely—even suggesting the reporters must have been bribed—over how reporters would go this far over an exhibition game that only left records with no real meaning.
Thanks to those fans’ support, I wasn’t bothered by the articles anymore.
‘No… but still….’
I couldn’t help but wonder if things had deteriorated this badly.
On a whim, I pulled up my status window and found the answer.
[Kang Ho-jin]
– Title: [Rookie of the Year]
– Max Stamina: 101(+1)
– Peak Velocity: 155(+1)km
– Pitches: Four-Seam Fastball(B), Changeup(B), Curveball(A), Splitter(C), Slider(B), Forkball(E)
– Skills: Healing(S)
– Special Notes: Common Cold (Influenza)
– Remaining Points: 7
I’d caught the flu.
Truth be told, I found it somewhat absurd that I’d contracted influenza.
After returning to the Second Camp, I’d stayed in the Dormitory rather than visiting my Daughter’s side, focusing solely on training. Once I learned I’d be starting in the exhibition match, I’d prepared with everything I had, managing my body with meticulous care.
The only thing different from my usual routine was the nightmares I’d been having.
I never imagined those would lead to catching a cold.
“Sigh….”
Looking at the game results, runs continued to be scored after my exit, and we lost.
Thinking of the fans who’d been waiting for an exhibition championship victory, I felt nothing but remorse at this inauspicious beginning.
I called the Manager first.
“I apologize for failing to manage my condition properly.”
– No, it happens. I heard you caught a cold. Get plenty of rest.
The Manager assured me it was fine.
But I felt ashamed of myself. His words to take care of my body only made me feel more pathetic today.
As I sat there blankly, the nightmare resurfaced, and it kept trying to push me back down into that abyss.
I’d thought I’d moved past this after returning to the past and recovered fairly well.
Having lived through those years, I’d brought that experience with me, so I’d achieved a certain level of basic growth. With the means to save my Daughter’s life, I was filled with hope unlike before.
But I couldn’t understand why I kept pushing myself into the pit of despair like I had before returning to the past.
‘Could it be because I haven’t been seeing my Daughter?’
In the free time before the exhibition match, I’d focused on training and exercise rather than visiting my Daughter.
I even suspected that whoever brought me back to the past might have made me ill because they disapproved of that choice.
I’m not sure of the exact reason, but one thing is certain—I feel like I’m being punished.
“Huh….”
As I let out a heavy sigh, the Hospital Room door opens.
Considering this was Busan, I didn’t think it would be my Parents, so I looked up and saw a face I’d grown familiar with by now.
“You’re awake, Pitcher Kang Ho-jin.”
“Yes, Employee Shin Se-a.”
“That’s a relief.”
She smiles and explains my symptoms to me.
The doctor said it’s influenza, so they’ve prescribed tests and an IV drip.
I’d spend the night here, and if my fever went down by morning, I’d be discharged. If not, I’d stay another day.
“Thank you for your concern.”
“It’s nothing. It’s part of my job at the Front Office.”
Even so, I suspected that someone of the Team Owner’s Granddaughter’s status would normally be excused from such menial tasks.
‘I suppose I’m getting better.’
The fact that such pointless, half-joking thoughts were crossing my mind was proof of that.
Not wanting to dwell on unnecessary musings, I leaned back against the headboard and lay down.
The Team Owner’s Granddaughter then kindly adjusted the blanket I was lying under.
When our faces drew close and I found myself staring at her, she subtly shifted her body backward, her face flushed crimson as she averted her gaze from mine.
“Since I’ve confirmed you’re awake, I’ll head out now. Another staff member will come to assist you in the morning.”
“Understood.”
With those words, the Team Owner’s Granddaughter gathered her bag and left.
Thanks to her turning off the light as well, the darkened Hospital Room gradually filled with the city lights streaming in from outside.
Perhaps because I’d lost consciousness and slept, sleep didn’t come easily now.
As I stared blankly out the window, I recalled Ye-ji and Ye-jin from the nightmare I’d seen.
Seeing that one of the nightmares that had tormented me daily had finally arrived, I wondered if it might have been a signal that something dangerous was happening to my body.
I remembered that on days when I had such nightmares, my pitching was always poor, and I’d had this dream before when I was injured.
And whenever I had such a dream and recovered, I’d always have a different dream afterward.
– All the pain, go away~!
– You’ll be okay now, Dad.
It was my Daughter’s voice, cradling my head with her tiny hands or embracing me with her small body.
After dreaming of my Daughter nursing me so devotedly by my side, my body would miraculously recover the next day.
And this time was no exception.
I didn’t know when I’d fallen asleep, but when I woke, I found myself greeting a morning that was not just refreshing but genuinely pleasant.
“Patient Kang Ho-jin, I’ll take your temperature.”
Just then, a Nurse came in, checked my temperature, and told me I could be discharged. I changed into my clothes and finished preparing.
Though it was only one day, it had been eventful—from the nightmare to the worst pitching performance, and then my Daughter’s dream.
While such things had happened frequently before, I now hoped they wouldn’t happen again.
And not just for my sake, but for my Daughter’s as well.
And so I rejoined the team.
“Hey! Ho-jin! Sit over there and rest!”
“What are you doing coming out already! Just get some proper rest.”
“It’s warm here anyway, so come over here.”
My Senior Pitchers were being unusually overprotective, and I found myself accepting their care.
And finally, I overheard a conversation between two Foreign Mercenary Pitchers passing by me.
“Our bro’s a monster, but he’s still human after all.”
“You could say he looks like a person now? Before, he didn’t seem like it.”
The Foreign Mercenary Pitchers spoke in cryptic terms and passed by, and finally Se-jin sat down beside me and said one thing.
“You should’ve taken better care of your body.”
“You’re right.”
I have nothing to say.
* * *
The Dolphins’ exhibition games proved to be exactly as expected.
Though Kang Ho-jin faltered in the first game, remarkably, the team went on to string together consecutive victories afterward.
In particular, the two Foreign Mercenary Pitchers and Kim Se-jin and Choi Jin-ha, who took turns as starting pitchers, each consumed a solid five innings, allowing the Bullpen to operate smoothly.
Beyond that, the batters at every position except those still competing for the starting lineup each held their own, extracting a minimum of five runs per game, demonstrating just how formidable the spring Dolphins had become.
And remarkably, this year’s exhibition games showcased the impressive performances of other teams in an unusual way.
Byun Hee-su of the Dragons refined his changeup further, drawing swings from batters, while Ga Jin-heo of the Elephants sharpened the angle of his slider so that batters hesitated to extend their bats, and Park Myung-hwan of the Phoenix freely controlled the drop of his curveball.
Kim Se-jin paid no attention to the fans debating whether his pitch was a splitter or a forkball, instead utilizing deliveries that straddled that boundary to build up his count.
Because of the veteran pitchers’ stellar performances, the exhibition games became ones where younger players found themselves under pressure instead.
Thanks to the veterans’ displays, some fans who had drifted away from baseball returned, and they were the ones most eagerly anticipating the regular season.
And when the exhibition games concluded, the Dolphins achieved their fourteenth championship as expected.
One surprising fact was that Kang Ho-jin never took the mound even once during that stretch.
He spent more time absent from the Dugout than present, and since he didn’t start, the Dolphins fans’ concern had transcended mere questioning.
A brief respite arrived after the exhibition games ended.
Everyone ended their sweet rest before the regular season, and the managers and representative players from each team gathered in Seoul.
2027 Media Day.
The final event before the real season had arrived.

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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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