Former National John Patterson Retires

Posted by Cheryl Nichols | Wednesday, January 07, 2009 | | 0 comments »


Right-hander pitcher John Patterson, just a few days shy of his 31st birthday, retired from baseball today.

Patterson was opening day starter in 2007
Photo (c) Cheryl L. Nichols

When the Nationals first came to DC in 2005, John was one of the early fan favorites. When he wasn't the starting pitcher, John would spend a few minutes before games chatting with fans, signing autographs and posing for pictures. He was definitely one of the "nice" guys.

The Nats released Patterson during spring training 2008. The day that we arrived in Florida - I remember it very clearly. We checked into our hotel, Dave looked at baseball "stuff" online, then told me to sit down and broke the news to me.

Patterson had surgery in 2007 and the velocity just did not return. The Texas Rangers signed him to a minor league contract in March 2008 and then released him in May.

According to Bill Ladson's article, John declined to say what he was going to do with the rest of his life, but acknowledged that he has been doing a lot of hunting this offseason.

Every time I hear "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC, I think of John Patterson warming up to pitch. Best of luck to you John.

Nats Home Opener 4/11/2006




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