Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet revealed that he adjusted his changeup during the offseason, using a splitter grip to throw the pitch.
“It’s kind of more of a splitter now than it has been in the past,” Crochet said, per Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. “I felt like I was always pretty timid to buy into that pitch, they kind of scare you growing up that it’ll give you the elbow bug, but I found one grip that works for me, and I’ve been recovering really well.”
He modified the pitch after Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey and coach Devin Rose sent him videos and different grips to test out, via McCaffrey.
Crochet is coming off a impressive inaugural season with Boston in 2025, earning an All-Star nod and finishing No. 2 in American League Cy Young Award voting.
He compiled an 18-5 record in 32 starts to go along with a 2.59 ERA and 1.028 WHIP. Crochet also averaged 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings, the highest mark among AL pitchers.
As the Red Sox enter 2026 attempting to clinch consecutive postseason berths for the first time since 2018, the top of their rotation remains imposing.