Patterson Fishes For Success

STATEN ISLAND, NY- Paul Patterson continued to pitch well for the Baby Bombers in a 4-0 win over Vermont Lake Monday afternoon at RCBP in St. George.

In his first start for Staten Island, he tossed three scoreless innings giving up only one hit, walking none and striking out one.

Entering the game, the 22 year-old from Kentucky had started the season out of the bullpen, providing some solid relief work. He brought a 1-0 record with a 3.48 ERA along with eight K's in 10-plus innings into Monday.

Despite being a little nervous about starting, Patterson performed well.

"It was real exciting," Patterson said. "I had a few butterflies before the game but I felt really comfortable out there and I was thankful for the opportunity to get the start and really glad I was able to take advantage of it. It was great. I look forward to doing it again."

It was a sharp contrast to coming out of the pen which he explained matter of factly.

"The biggest difference is being able to take your time to get yourself mentally prepared and physically prepared," he pointed out about starting as opposed to taking the mound in the middle of a game.

"You got more time to warm up and as far as out of the bullpen, more rapid fire warming up and then being able to start, you can take your time. Make sure you got all your pitches lined up and ready to go for the game."

During his collegiate career, Patterson got the chance to star back home for Northern Kentucky University where he helped guide the Norse to the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship this past year- putting up impressive numbers by posting five wins, 1.92 ERA, three complete games and allowed opponents to compile only a .196 batting average.

"I'm from Nicholasville Kentucky. So I was really close to home. A lot of my family was there that would come to a lot of the games," he mentioned.

"We had a great team. We had a really good coaching staff. The coach up there worked really great with me and helped me and supported me a whole lot and pushed me and encouraged me and got my name out there. The team was great. We had an excellent defensive team that made all the plays behind me. We were able to make a pretty good run at it."

Being from Kentucky, Patterson grew up a big Reds fan and pondered what it might be like to return home and pitch against his favorite childhood team:

"There would be no greater feeling than be able to come into Cynergy Field wearing Pinstripes and pitch against the Reds. All my friends and family would be able to make it and hope I could get a good outing and do the best I can."

The recent Yankees 2006 16th round pick is also a huge fan of Roger Clemens.

"I'm a big fan of his basically because of his work ethic," the former 2005 Seattle Mariner selection praised of the seven-time Cy Young winner and future Hall of Famer.

"He works hard day in and day out. He's the same pitcher every game he goes out on the mound. He's got the same routines. The same mechanics. Nothing ever changes. I try to model myself after him. He's very dedicated and I look up to that."

In his free time, Patterson likes to fish and realizes what matters most.

"My Dad's a big fisherman," he remarked.

"The biggest part of fishing that I enjoy is just getting out on the lake with my Dad and spending quality time with him. I can just sit back and relax and talk to him about whatever is on my mind and we can bond out there. We got a good relationship. That's the most important thing to me is my family."