Kicker: Throwing like a pro

NICK EICHER, HOST: The home of the Colorado Rockies is Coors Field.

Nathan Patterson stepped in, and was throwin’ some cheddar.

First pitch, a fastball, and he dialed 9, that is to say he hit 90 miles per hour. Which is not bad.

But by big-league standards nothing special. 

Then he brought the heat.

AUDIO: [Thud and crowd noise]

94 miles per hour! But he had still more in the tank. So he pumped some gas.

AUDIO: [Thud] Come on Nathan, do it again, 96! [Thud] Yeah! [Claps]

That’s really good. But this kid, he wasn’t a pro. Not yet, anyway.

Nathan Patterson was throwing in a chain link cage under the bleachers in a fan challenge. 

The sound you just heard came from video that went viral online and caught the attention of the Oakland Athletics.

Now, he actually had been on the A’s radar last year when he did the same thing at their minor league affiliate in Nashville. But after seeing this video, the A’s front office called and days after that signed him to a minor league contract to play pro. 

On Instagram, Patterson quoted the famed general manager of the A’s Billy Beane, saying, “How can you not be romantic about baseball?”

How, indeed.

It’s The World and Everything in It.

(Photo/Sports Illustrated)

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.