Fan Who Threw 96 MPH In Radar Gun Booth Dazzles In Minor League Debut

By Bill Galluccio

August 19, 2019

View this post on Instagram

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

23-year-old Nathan Patterson thought his dreams of being a professional baseball player were over after he blew out his elbow during the summer before his senior year of high school. After recovering from the injury, Patterson went to college and started a successful landscaping business, leaving the prospect of playing baseball behind him. Or so he thought.

Patterson managed to catch the eyes of some scouts for the Oakland Athletics when he hit 96 MPH on an in-stadium radar gun during a minor league game last summer. He began to train but hit a setback when he injured his wrist in a car accident. Patterson didn't let the injury stop him and continued to work out.

Patterson made headlines in July when he hit 96 MPH again, this time at a Colorado Rockies game. The Athletics signed him a few days later.

Patterson made his minor league debut last week with the A's in the Rookie-level Arizona League. He pitched one inning and struck out all three batters he faced.

"Last night was incredible and truly a blessing as I made my first professional outing," Patterson wrote on Instagram. "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."