There's an interesting history behind Joe Ross' new splitter

VIERA, Fla. - Every pitch has a pedigree, and the lineage of the splitter Joe Ross unveiled in game for the first time Monday afternoon is a doozy.

It was born in a conversation with a teammate, probably somewhere along State Road 528, the route affectionately known as the Beachline, when a group of the Nationals were heading out to bond over a Golden State Warriors-Orlando Magic basketball game last month shortly after spring training started. That pitcher learned it from a former teammate who is often mentioned as having Hall of Fame credentials.

"I've kind of messed around with it in the past, just kind of playing catch," Ross said after allowing two runs on four hits in 2 2/3 innings with a walk and four strikeouts in a 7-4 victory over the Marlins. "Like flip a knuckleball or curveball or whatever, so it wasn't totally a new concept with me. But as far as throwing it off a mound, it took a bullpen or two to be somewhat OK with trying to get it down in a game. But I have pretty big hands, so as far as control and not having it fly out of there, it felt pretty good."

Ross' teacher: Jonathan Papelbon, who worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning in his first spring outing to pick up a save. Former teammates have pegged Papelbon as a guy who is willing to share his knowledge, and his recent tutlage of Ross is a tangible example of how he pays pitching forward.

"That was all him," Ross said when asked how the split came to be a part of his repertoire. "It was actually on our way to the Warriors game in Orlando. He was kind of talking about it because they all know I've been ... working on my changeup for the most part. He said that was a big pitch he learned from (Curt) Schilling when he was in Boston. So I figured if Schilling throws a splitter and he teaches Papelbon to throw a splitter, I should probably try at least one time."

Monday's first attempt went pretty well, and probably won't be the last time Ross uses the pitch. Ross estimates he threw about five of the splitters, two of them in a first-inning at-bat by Christian Yelich. The new pitch, which drops down toward the batter's knees at the last moment, caught Yelich looking confused when home pate umpire Ramon DeJesus rang him up for a called third strike to end the inning.

"It felt pretty good as far as the first time throwing a pitch in a game," Ross said. "Obviously, a lot of room for improvement. But if I can work on that and, say the changeup isn't there in a game, I've got an alternative and not (have to) be so fastball-slider dominant."

The splitter would be Ross' fourth pitch, and give opposing hitters just one more thing to think about. It would also be an effective weapon against right-handed hitters, he said, much moreso than the changeup.

"I think so, just because arm action, I can throw the (heck) out of it and let it do its thing," Ross said. "Changeup's for variety, sometimes I tend to baby it. The lefty, if you miss arm-side, it's not a big deal. But the last thing you want is to hit another righty. ... I think right-on-right, if I can get that going, it should be pretty good."

Papelbon, who entered the game to only a smattering of boos, sought out his pupil after he locked down the Nats' fifth win in six Grapefruit League games to see how he fared with the off-speed offering. The closer wasn't available to the media after the game while immersed in his usual postgame conditioning regimen.

"He came up to me afterwards today and asked how it felt," Ross said.

Ross is hoping the new pitch will help him in his quest to claim one of the two open spots in the Nationals rotation. Despite a stellar rookie season that saw him go 5-5 with a 3.64 ERA in 16 games (13 starts), the 22-year-old isn't taking anything for granted.

"As far as the last two spots, I guess anything could happen," he said. "Just trying to stay healthy and work on all that stuff - and especially that splitter. That can be a big fourth pitch."