Editing Split-finger fastball (section)

==History==
The splitter grew out of a much older pitch, the [[forkball]], which was first used in the major leagues in the 1920s.<ref name="JamesNeyer2004">{{cite book|last1=James|first1=Bill|last2=Neyer|first2=Rob|title=The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers: An Historical Compendium of Pitching, Pitchers, and Pitches|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7FfRLE6I5EEC&pg=GBS.PA45|access-date=July 2, 2012|date=June 15, 2004|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=9780743261586|pages=45–51|chapter=The Forkball Fast and Slow}}</ref> The modern splitter is often credited to baseball coach [[Fred Martin (baseball)|Fred Martin]], who threw the pitch in the minor leagues as a [[changeup]] of sorts. When a young [[Bruce Sutter]] returned from surgery to find his fastball had lost velocity, Martin taught Sutter the pitch.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Fimrite|first1=Ron|title=This pitch in time saves nine|url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1979/09/17/this-pitch-in-time-saves-nine-when-chicago-requires-late-inning-help-out-of-the-bullpen-comes-bruce-sutter-whose-unique-quotsplit-fingered-fastballquot-has-made-him-the-most-effective-relief-pitcher-in-the-game|access-date=2024-07-02|magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]|date=September 17, 1979}}<!-- Older URLs: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1095381/index.htm and https://www.si.com/vault/1979/09/17/823981/this-pitch-in-time-saves-nine-when-chicago-requires-late-inning-help-out-of-the-bullpen-comes-bruce-sutter-whose-unique-quotsplit-fingered-fastballquot-has-made-him-the-most-effective-relief-pitcher-in-the-game --></ref> Sutter's success as a [[closer (baseball)|closer]] helped popularize the pitch.

Another early proponent of the splitter was [[Roger Craig (baseball)|Roger Craig]], a pitcher-turned-manager, in the 1980s. He taught it to a number of pitchers on the teams he coached, the [[Detroit Tigers]] and [[San Francisco Giants]].<ref name="JamesNeyer2004" /> Longtime player and manager [[Mike Scioscia]] called the splitter "the pitch of the '80s."<ref name="Times" />

The splitter eventually lost popularity in MLB after concerns arose that extensive use of the pitch could rob pitchers of fastball speed<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/printarticle/?id=125930578|title=Curve now takes a back seat to other breaking pitches|last=Christensen|first=Joe|date=July 22, 2011|work=Star Tribune|access-date=September 17, 2012}}</ref> and increase injury risk<ref name="Yahoo">{{cite web|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/why-the-splitter-could-flip-from-baseball-taboo-to-popular-experiment-for-mlb-pitchers-233752828.html|title=Why the splitter could flip from baseball taboo to popular experiment for MLB pitchers|last=Crizer|first=Zach|date=June 5, 2023|work=Yahoo! Sports|access-date=May 5, 2024}}</ref> Several major league teams discourage pitching prospects from throwing or learning the pitch.<ref name="Times" /> In 2011, only 15 starting pitchers used it as part of their regular repertoire.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baseballprospectus.com/pitchfx/leaderboards/index.php?hand=&prp=P&month=&year=2011&pitch=FS&ds=gbfb&lim=100|title=Leaderboards|work=Baseball Prospectus|access-date=September 17, 2012}}</ref>  Splitter usage has begun to see a resurgence in the 2020s, with little research indicating support for the increased injury risk, and the MLB success of Japanese splitter-throwers from [[Nippon Professional Baseball|NPB]], where the splitter has long been a primary pitch, as key factors.<ref name="Yahoo" />