Posted on by Matt Gilligan

A Fan Who Threw a 96 Mph Fastball in a Speed Challenge Signed with the Oakland A’s

You never know when your moment to be discovered might arrive. And that’s exactly what happened when a fan rose to the occasion at a speed challenge contest at a baseball game.

23-year-old Nathan Patterson went to a Colorado Rockies game on July 15 with his brother Christian to kick back and relax – but fate intervened when Patterson decided to step into the speed pitch challenge at the stadium…and he threw a 96 mph fastball.

Let’s get him signed, indeed.

Two weeks later, Nathan Patterson was signed by the Oakland A’s.

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“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! My family has given me nothing but constant love and support throughout the last 9 months as I pursue a dream of mine that I’ve had since I was a little kid. It’s been a roller coaster to get here with many challenges and overcoming adversity. I’m grateful for all the trainers, coaches, friends, @rsrbaseball and everyone else who has supported me thus far! And for those who tell you that you can’t achieve your dreams, use that as fuel to work even harder. Because those people are the ones that settle. I’m grateful for the @athletics organization for giving me this opportunity! This story is not over. It is not the beginning. I am writing the next chapters and excited for this journey! Time to focus even more, work even harder, and it all starts with your mindset. Go after your dreams and make them a reality!

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Patterson hadn’t played baseball for a few years and last year he surprised himself by throwing a 96 mph fastball at a pitching booth at a minor-league baseball game in Nashville. After that night, he began training. Patterson experienced a setback when he hurt his non-throwing arm in a car accident and had to wear a cast. But he continued to train in the meantime. Here’s a video from January 2019 when Patterson was still wearing his cast.

Patterson began talking with the Oakland A’s back in February, and he got a call from the organization a few days after his brother’s Twitter videos of him throwing fastballs in Colorado went viral.

Let this be a lesson to all of us: when you are given an opportunity, grab it! It’ll be interesting to see how Nathan Patterson’s story evolves. Let’s hope we see him on the mound in Oakland sooner than later.

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