Brayan Bello learned a new pitch with help from Rich Hill, and quickly put it to good use

With one out in the top of the third inning in a start against the Yankees last week, right-hander Brayan Bello tried something new.

Yankee outfielder Aaron Hicks was at the plate, and Bello shook off catcher Connor Wong as Wong filtered through numerous PitchCom signals on his wrist. Finally, he got to the pitch Bello wanted: a curveball.

That it took so long for Wong to call the pitch was probably because it wasn’t really part of Bello’s repertoire. It was a brand new pitch Bello had only been working on for a few days; he decided to debut it in that Hicks at-bat.

The 0-1 pitch crossed the plate at 79.5 mph, with a 53-inch break, falling into the bottom of the zone for a ball.

Two innings later, Bello tried it again, in his next at-bat against Hicks. He fired the 1-1 pitch in at 81.5 mph, with slightly more break at 54 inches, and Hicks fouled it off.

Because it was such a new pitch, Statcast didn’t initially recognize the offering.

The curveballs were just two of the season-high 98 pitches Bello threw that night, but its appearance marked a significant step in the rookie’s development.

Earlier in the week, NESN cameras had shown Rich Hill, whose curveball is his signature pitch, leaning over the dugout railing at Fenway next to Bello. With a ball in hand, the 42-year-old Hill showed the 23-year-old Bello his grip, mimicking the roller coaster movement of the pitch.