Patrick Corbin: "My friends just said, 'Dude, you have a pretty good arm. Why don't you just go out there and give it a shot?" Source: Jared Wickerham / Supplied
PATRICK Corbin threw his first fastball wearing jeans.
Back then, the Arizona Diamondback was still in his teens. A junior at North Syracuse High.
A first pitch towards what would eventually be deliveries challenging those of Australian cricket speedster, Mitchell Johnson.
Now starring in the Major Leagues, Corbin will today join LA Dodgers catcher AJ Ellis at the Sydney Opera House as the hype surrounding the 2014 MLB season opener, to be held at the SCG next March, gathers momentum.
Despite being famed for his slider, Corbin still has a fastball that travels at 153km/hr. In comparison, Johnson, who starts his Ashes campaign on Thursday, recently had his own fastball clocked at 154.6km/hr.
Mitchell Johnson has recently been clocked bowling at 154.6km/hr as the Ashes loom. Source: Getty Images
Yet in a recent interview, Arizona superstar Corbin admitted he never even considered a baseball career until high school.
After being dragged along to tryouts by his friends, the coach asked if he could hit. 'No,' came the reply. 'Okay, I guess we better see if you can throw then'.
"I didn't really know what the heck was going on," Corbin recalled. "My friends just said, 'Dude, you have a pretty good arm. Why don't you just go out there and give it a shot?'
"I was good friends with all of them and was like, 'What the heck?' "
"I remember walking up to pitch with jeans on."
Ironically, it was a similar story of discovery for Johnson who, at 17 and bowling in his father's golf shoes, shocked Queensland cricket officials by recording the fastest delivery in the state.
Off the field, both speedsters are also considered shy, modest and incredibly respectful.
With his signing bonus, Corbin bought a used car instead of a new one. He also still lived at home with his parent's until earlier this year and, during the offseason, officiates youth basketball games.
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