CHICAGO — Euclides Rojas grabbed a baseball, walked over to Edgar Santana in the bullpen last June, and formed a circle on the side of the ball with his right index finger and thumb. The changeup grip, Rojas, the Pirates' bullpen coach, said, would be the key for Santana to have success in the major leagues.
Then, Rojas told Santana who used the exact same four-seam grip: Pedro Martinez, the Hall-of-Fame right-handed starting pitcher whom Santana idolized as a child in the Dominican Republic. Santana, the Pirates' promising 26-year-old right-handed reliever, smiled, nodded in approval and gave the grip a few tries in the bullpen. The result was a pitch that could potentially get big-league hitters out when his wipeout slider isn't effective.
Santana was hesitant to throw changeups during his first abbreviated season with the Pirates in 2017; however, he's turned to the pitch in his past two outings, and it bailed him out when his best pitch was ineffective.
"I got it, I got the changeup now," Santana said, beaming. "I was scared to throw it because I thought they’d hit a home run. But I’ve got it now. I’m trusting that pitch right now. I’m throwing it more than my slider right now."
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