Baseball fan who signed with A's after viral pitching video strikes out side in pro debut
A baseball fan who signed a contract with the Oakland A’s organization after a viral video showed him throwing a 96-mph pitch struck out all three batters he faced in his professional debut.
Right-handed pitcher Nathan Patterson, 23, took to the mound as a pro for the first time last week as the AZL Athletics Gold, a minor league affiliate of the A’s, faced the AZL Cubs 2. According to MiLB, the official site of Minor League Baseball, Patterson threw nine strikes in nine pitches, though he said he actually threw 18 times to strike out the three batters.
“Last night was incredible and truly a blessing as I made my first professional outing,” Patterson wrote on Instagram after the game. “I’m not gonna lie, the nerves were flowing until I threw strike one. After that, I took a big deep breath and realized all the hard work over the last year has prepared me for this moment.”
Just a month before he debuted in the minors, his brother posted a video online showing Patterson throwing 90+ mph multiple times at a speed pitch radar cage during a Colorado Rockies game. He was an unknown until then, but the video went viral and caught the attention of Rob Friedman, the pitching analyst known for his @PitchingNinja Twitter page.
By Aug. 1, Patterson had signed with the A’s.
“Words cannot describe this feeling and I cannot [thank] everyone enough who has been part of this journey so far,” he wrote online.
Of course, you don’t just wake up one day throwing 96-mph fastballs. Patterson told MLB.com he played baseball in high school, but hadn’t thrown for a few years. Then last year he hit 96 mph at a pitching booth at an A’s-affiliate Nashville Sounds game. That inspired him to start training, though he was later hit by a car and needed surgery on his non-throwing wrist.
Patterson had talked to the A’s in February and joined a men’s league as he continued training, MLB.com reported. Then the team called him a few days after his video went viral.
“My family has given me nothing but constant love and support throughout the last nine months as I pursued a dream of mine that I’ve had since I was a little kid,” he wrote on Instagram. “It’s been a roller coaster to get here with many challenges and overcoming adversity.”
Neither the team nor Patterson has shared details of their contract, but a rookie developing in the minors typically doesn’t stand to earn a whole lot. A Single-A team player can earn as little as $1,200 per month, Forbes reported. As of 2015, minor leaguers could hope to earn as much as $41,400, or about double that if they were called up to the Majors for at least a day, according to Jeff Blank’s Sports Law Blog.
But if Patterson does make his way up to the Majors, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for him to earn hundreds of thousands or even millions per year as a starting pitcher.
For now, Patterson said developing and reaching the majors is his “number one priority.”
“The stories have been incredible and I hope to inspire others,” he tweeted. “I have been given an incredible opportunity.”