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.
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
Let’s get him signed, indeed.
Two weeks later, Nathan Patterson was signed by the Oakland A’s.
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.
2019 Draft Eligable
-Fastball 92-95
-Changeup 81-84
-Slider 79-82Cast comes off in 2 weeks and will start getting the upper body back in shape. You can count on upper 90’s very soon. Any feedback is appreciated!@FlatgroundApp pic.twitter.com/FWxq2rQuE7
— Nathan Patterson (@npatterson_12) January 20, 2019
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.
Just to be clear…my number one priority right now is to develop and perform for the @Athletics organization and get to the big leagues. The stories have been incredible and I hope to inspire others. I have been given an incredible opportunity. Go A’s!
— Nathan Patterson (@npatterson_12) August 2, 2019
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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