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.”

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Last night was incredible and truly a blessing as I made my first professional outing. I’m not gonna lie, the nerves were flowing until I threw strike one. After that, I took a big deep breathe 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. I still have a long ways to go and I love that aspect of this journey. It takes discipline, focus, and consistency day in and day out to be able to compete in professional baseball. I wake up everyday excited to get better and push myself beyond my own expectations. It’s amazing what can happen when you set a goal, take it one day at a time, knock down any barriers, and look back after a few months or years to see what you have accomplished. As @garyvee says “macro patience, micro speed!” #LFG

A 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.