Nathan Patterson played baseball in high school.
But, the 23-year-old shocked everyone when he threw a whopping 96 mph fastball during a fan challenge in Colorado.
Now he’s signing as a pitcher with the Oakland A’s minor league team and excited to fulfill his childhood dream that is going pro into a reality.
“Words cannot describe this feeling,” Patterson wrote on his Instagram account, where he posted a picture of himself in Oakland A’s gear signing with the Major League Baseball team.
Most professional baseball players start playing competitively in high school and college, then they get selected by a professional team to play in the minor leagues, and later advancing to the MLB.
But Patterson got this chance after he caught the attention of the Oakland A’s with a consistent heater in the 90-plus mph range.
Just two weeks ago, Patterson was at Coors Field for a Colorado Rockies game where he tried his luck at a fan challenge. A video of him throwing a pitch at a breakneck 96 mph went viral and received more than 1,000 retweets, and break the internet.
Then the 23-year-old received an offer from the A’s.
How rare and difficult is it to throw a 96 mph fastball?
A handful of major league players can hit triple digits from the mound with a heater, and, according to MLB.com, the average four-seam fastball in the league since 2015 has hovered at about 93 mph.
He talks with recruiters for the A’s in February and started playing competitively, hoping to make his way into the league.
He shared a picture of his new locker with a green A’s jersey and his new number, 36.
“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,” he wrote in an Instagram post.
He thanked his family and his trainers for giving him a shot.
“This story is not over,” he wrote. “I am writing the next chapters and excited for this journey!”