Fan Who Used Blistering Fastball to Land Oakland A's Contract, Makes Pro Debut
The baseball fan who earned an Oakland A’s contract with a blistering fast 96-mph pitch made his professional baseball debut at Coors Field last Thursday.
Nathan Patterson, 23, who was signed to the Athletics Gold, took the mound for his first time as a professional ball player and skunked three batters in a row, according to Fox News.
Patterson said his first time on the mound in a pro setting was “incredible and truly a blessing.”
“I’m not gonna lie, the nerves were flowing until I threw strike one,” Patterson said on Instagram on Friday. “After that, I took a big deep breath and realized all the hard work over the last year has prepared me for this moment.”
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Nathan Patterson (@njpatterson12) on Aug 16, 2019 at 12:28pm PDT
Patterson became a viral sensation after participating in a speed pitch challenge held on July 15 in Denver. A video of his pitches showed that all his throws clocked in at over 90 miles per hour, and his best was a 96 MPH throw.
Guys, we were just chillin at a @rockies baseball game, and my brother decided to step into a speed pitch challenge…he hit 96 mph 😳 @MLB Let’s get him signed! pic.twitter.com/g0fKrvUxzt
— Christian Patterson (@cpatterson_7) July 15, 2019
Patterson had already had some contact with Oakland before the video, but once the video went viral, the A’s quickly re-established contact with the would-be player and immediately signed him to a minor league contract.
“How can you not be romantic about baseball” -Billy Beane
Words cannot describe this feeling and I cannot thank everyone enough who has been part of this journey so far! pic.twitter.com/E4eSMUDmU5
— Nathan Patterson (@npatterson_12) August 1, 2019
The young man played in high school, but only recently had begun playing again in a local men’s league in Colorado.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.