Pirates sidewinder Justin Lawrence ready to take advantage of sweeping changes in bullpen

When the Pittsburgh Pirates claimed Justin Lawrence off waivers, his social media-savvy father was the first to suggest he use the same walk-out song as the franchise’s most famous sidearm reliever.

Lawrence didn’t know much about Pirates Hall of Famer and 1979 World Series hero Kent Tekulve but soon became familiar with his entrance to “The Rubberband Man” by The Spinners.

“My dad (Lionel) sent me that and said, ‘That’s got to be your walk-out.’ I was like, ‘Nah, I can’t mess with that. I’ve got to keep the history there,’ ” said Lawrence, who pitches from a negative-2 arm angle. “The only thing (I knew) was that Rubberband Man walk-out. When I got picked up here, I had so many people on Instagram sending me his walk-out. It’s funky. He looks like the Rubberband guy. Me, I’m just doing my thing.”

If Lawrence’s sub-zero delivery doesn’t draw comparisons to Tekulve, whose 158 saves rank second in club history behind Roy Face’s 188, then his success in high-leverage situations might. The 6-foot-3, 213-pounder is 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and nine strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings over six appearances this season.

Lawrence kept the St. Louis Cardinals scoreless over the final 1 2/3 innings to earn the win in the Pirates’ 2-1 walk-off victory Wednesday at PNC Park, recording a pair of strikeouts in the 13th inning.

“Those are always fun,” Lawrence said. “You get put into the corner from the get-go, but you make quality pitches and get the results you want sometimes.”

The 30-year-old Lawrence is familiar with the flip side, as well. After earning 11 saves for the Colorado Rockies in 2023, he was 4-4 with a 6.49 ERA and 45 strikeouts against 33 walks in 59 2/3 innings last season. When Lawrence struggled this spring, he was designated for assignment March 1. The Pirates claimed him off waivers two days later, and he made the Opening Day roster.

“That’s my first time getting DFA’d. You’re kind of in unknown territory,” Lawrence said. “You’re coming into camp for a new team. It’s not just, ‘I’m getting ready for the season.’ I’ve got to go out there and make the team. Once the season starts, let’s put up some numbers and prove I’m still a reliable reliever. We’re trending in that direction, so hopefully we keep it going.”

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The Pirates were intrigued by Lawrence’s 95 mph sinker, frisbee sweeper and a four-seam fastball, especially his ability to induce soft contact. His average exit velocity (82.3 mph) ranks in the 95th percentile, per Statcast, and Lawrence has a high groundball percentage (58.3), a low hard-hit rate (25.0) and a 34.6% strikeout rate this season.

“I think we knew when we acquired him that his stuff was really good,” Shelton said. “Sinker from that angle, being able to elevate the four-seam and the sweeper, obviously, metrically shows up. The situation that’s he’s run into in the past is just throwing strikes. So far, since we acquired him in spring training and throughout four or five appearances, he’s done a really good job of staying in the zone and letting his stuff play.”

Justin Lawrence, 83mph Frisbee Sweeper. ???? pic.twitter.com/pjixDFnJeL

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 9, 2025

Lawrence became a sidewinder almost by accident. After transferring from Jacksonville University to Daytona State College, Lawrence found sudden success when he dropped to a lower arm angle.

“I wasn’t playing a lot and wanted to do something different, something fun to try to get out there on the field,” Lawrence said. “Coach liked it, and I started playing more. The following year, the velo started picking up and that’s where the coaches were like, ‘You have an opportunity to get drafted and make a name for yourself.’ ”

The Rockies drafted him in the 12th round in 2015, and he rose to prominence as a reliever, starting the 2023 season serving as the setup man to Pierce Johnson before moving into the closer role. The sweeper went from a devastating pitch in ’23 to ineffective last year. An adjustment concentrating on getting spin off his middle finger instead of his index finger helped Lawrence refine the pitch.

“If you get down to the nitty-gritty of the analytics of it, I’m basically throwing a sidearm curveball,” Lawrence said. “I’m getting on the side of it and ripping it and throwing as hard as I can. I’m able to get those big shapes from my arm slot at 84, 85 miles an hour.”

With setup man Colin Holderman on the 15-day injured list with a sprained right knee and closer David Bednar at Triple-A Indianapolis, Lawrence is one of five Pirates relievers rotating in for high-leverage situations. He’s hoping his second chance is a fresh start.

“Those late innings, they’re special,” Lawrence said. “They’re hard to come by. That’s where you really can make a name for yourself, is by being successful in those innings.”