Oakland A's sign fan who threw 96 mph fastball in a speed challenge

A baseball fan threw a pitch that clocked in at 96 miles per hour during a stadium speed challenge. Two weeks later, he was signed to a team as a Major League Baseball player.

Nathan Patterson, 23, attended a Colorado Rockies game with his brother on July 15, and his pitch went viral on Twitter.

His brother Christian tweeted, "Let's get him signed!"

Tweet may have been deleted

Nathan posted Instagram photos of himself signing a contract with the Oakland Athletics on Thursday night.

"For those who tell you that you can’t achieve your dreams, use that as fuel to work even harder," he wrote in the caption. "Because those people are the ones that settle."

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It was more than just good luck for the newest member of the Oakland A's, though — this move was a year in the making. CNN reports that Nathan originally threw a 96 mph ball at a Nashville Sounds pitching booth. He told MLB.com that the pitch surprised him, because he hadn't seriously played baseball "for a few years before that."

He competed up until his senior year of high school, but "didn't really have a good arm then."

After throwing the impressive pitch in Nashville, Nathan began training. His plans were later derailed when he was in a car accident that left his non-throwing arm in a cast. He continued to train while recovering from surgery on the arm, and he gained attention on Twitter for pitching impressively fast balls while still in a cast.

Tweet may have been deleted

Nathan began talking with the Oakland A's in February, according to MLB.com, and got the call "a few days" after throwing the viral pitch at the Rockies game.

"This story is not over. It is not the beginning," he tweeted the night he signed the contract. "I am writing the next chapters and excited for this journey! Time to focus even more, work even harder, and it all starts with your mindset"

(责任编辑：行业动态)