Guy who threw a 96 mph ball in fan challenge has been signed to an MLB contract

A 23-year-old man has been signed as a pitcher with the Oakland A's minor league team one month after throwing a 96 mph fastball during a fan challenge, MLB.com has reported.

Nathan Patterson hadn't actually played a game of baseball since graduating from high school. However, Nathan managed to light up the radar gun and subsequently go viral after footage of his incredible pitching skills hit social media.

Check out this amazing video of Nathan's pitch below:

While visiting Coors Field for a Colorado Rockies game, Nathan was filmed making a number of incredibly strong throws, hurling one ball at the amazing speed of 96 mph. After a video of this incident managed to receive more than 1,000 retweets, he received an offer from the Oakland A's to join them.

Nathan had once nurtured hopes that he could play baseball competitively. But he was sadly forced to shelve these dreams in high school after he was struck by a car and required surgery on his left wrist. Luckily, Nathan throws with his right, and after he had time to recuperate, he was back to throwing like a pro again.

Take a look of this video of two fans fighting over a ball at a game:

Taking to Instagram, Nathan shared a picture of himself signing on with his favorite team. He captioned the picture: "Words cannot describe this feeling and I cannot thank everyone enough who has been part of this journey so far!  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. [sic]"

He added: "I'm grateful for the @athleticsorganization for giving me this opportunity!  This story is not over. It is not the beginning. 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. Go after your dreams and make them a reality! [sic]"

Man uses his own son to hit a rival baseball fan:

But this isn't the first time that someone has managed to become an internet celebrity through baseball. Check out this article we penned all about a Minnesotan fan who caught a baseball at a game, chugged beer, and managed to become a living legend.