Dreams can come true; just ask Nathan Patterson, a 23-year-old pitcher who signed with the Oakland A’s after going viral. Patterson was originally signed to a contract in early August after he threw a 96 mph fastball at a Colorado Rockies game. A fairly standard transaction overall, but what made this contract unique is that Patterson hadn’t played competitive baseball since high school.
The youngster made his A’s debut over the weekend as part of the Rookie Level Arizona League and did not disappoint. He appeared in one inning and faced three batters, all of which he struck out. Patterson threw 18 pitches, per Yahoo Sports, but he did not allow any of his opponents to reach first base.
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“Last night was incredible and truly a blessing as I made my first professional outing,” Patterson wrote on his Instagram profile.
The fan who threw 96 mph in a radar gun booth made his A’s minor league debut. He struck out three batters 😤
(🎥: @TySmith_IU21) pic.twitter.com/PGzfkklso9
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) August 19, 2019
“I’m not gonna lie, the nerves were flowing until I threw strike one. After that, I took a big deep breath and realized all the hard work over the last year has prepared me for this moment. It could not have gone any better and I cannot thank my family, friends, teammates, and coaches enough for the love and support.”
As he continued in the caption, Patterson believes that he still has some work to do, but he is excited about the upcoming journey. Having to strive for excellence every single day is the part of the process that he loves.
Back in mid-July, Patterson stepped into the speed pitch challenge on the Coors Field concourse, an attraction that lets prospective pitchers test their arm talent against radar guns. Patterson started with a 91 mph throw before upping the speed on each toss. He topped out at 96 mph before calling it quits.
Nathan’s brother, Christian Patterson, captured the entire sequence of events on camera and posted the video to Twitter. The clip went viral, and Patterson was signing a deal with the A’s a mere two weeks later.
Fast forward to mid-August, and Patterson is making a name for himself. Granted, he was only active for one inning, but the A’s have to feel excited about his future prospects considering that he struck out all three batters he faced. That’s one solid debut overall.
