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.”
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.
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.
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.