CINCINNATI — Jake Mangum knew the request sounded strange. He also didn’t care.
When the Pirates outfielder entered the visiting clubhouse at Great American Ball Park early Tuesday afternoon, he pulled one of the attendants aside with a question, bracing himself for a cockeyed look.
“I said, ‘Hey man, I know this might sound a little weird, but I need a traffic cone,’” Mangum said. “He looks at me and goes, ‘One second.’ He walks outside the locker room door. Before it closes, he walks back in and goes, ‘Here you go.’”
That orange traffic cone, as they sometimes do, may have redirected everything.
In the short-term, that meant a series-evening 8-3 victory for the Pirates over the Reds, setting up Paul Skenes to go for the series win Wednesday. But it may have bigger implications, too.
Prior to Tuesday’s game, the Pirates were 6-for-45 with runners in scoring position. They had stranded 40 men on base, an average of 10 per game.
With frustration building amid so many missed opportunities, Mangum started to think creatively about the situation.
“We have the home run celebration with the [welding] hood, right?” Mangum said. “But sometimes all you need is a lousy single. We have to have something to celebrate singles, doubles and triples, too.”
Mangum wasn’t done. He kept going explaining his logic … and perhaps introducing a new strategy for teams struggling to hit with runners in scoring position in the process.
“We’ve had a lot of traffic on the bases recently,” Mangum said. “We just haven’t directed ‘em home. We needed a traffic cone to make sure they got home.
“Once [Pirates assistant clubhouse manager] Nik Cook slapped a Pirates sticker on that thing, it was over. You have to direct some traffic home sometimes, man.”
Pirates fans also know there’s a deeper, more confusing meaning here.
A few weeks ago, Fanatics began randomly selling Pirates T-shirts that said “Hoist the Cone” in black and gold. Like, real T-shirts. It had to have been a misprint. Maybe they meant “Hoist the Colors.” Nobody has gotten an actual explanation.
“I just learned about it yesterday,” said Billy Cook, who has become the Pirates’ official “Conehead,” distributing the props or simply running up and down the dugout hoisting the cone. “I was like, ‘That’s pretty funny.’ Then a cone showed up [Tuesday].”
So did the offense, and they might not be unrelated.
Oneil Cruz, who was pressing early, went deep twice, including one homer that traveled 444 feet. Bryan Reynolds got his first of the season, a 417-foot blast. Ryan O’Hearn hit a three-run homer to ignite a five-run third.
The Pirates offense, which managed just four singles one night prior, all of a sudden had life. Not only that, Brandon Lowe made a couple clutch diving plays, Yohan Ramírez got out of a big fifth-inning jam, and Pittsburgh coned its way to a terrific team win.
Mangum, who hours before first pitch grabbed the cone and planted it in the middle of the dugout, sensed something different in the dugout. It was more of the laid-back vibe the Pirates had achieved in Spring Training.
“I felt like we were so loose out there, just having a good time playing ball,” he said. “It was cool. ... We have a good thing going here, man. We have to stay positive."
Now for my nine observations:
• When it comes to Cruz, this is why you live with the unfinished defensive product. Top of the fourth, cutter middle-in, Cruz annihilated it to right-center. Top nine, curveball down and in, another loud swing and homer to right.
Bubba Chandler described postgame being bummed he missed Cruz’s first homer, because even his teammates drop their jaw at his power. Needs to happen more consistently, but Tuesday was certainly a step in the right direction.
“Proud of him for staying in the fight and coming up with two big, big swings there,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said.
• I know the misplays on Opening Day weren’t good. I’ve also seen how hard Cruz has worked since day one of Spring Training, how much he really does care and how much his teammates genuinely like him.
You don’t see that with guys who are disliked.
It gets frustrating because he does tease with his enormous talent. But the Pirates committed to Cruz in 2026, and they’re going to do everything they can to support him. Games like this show why they did that — and why it makes sense for them to see this through.
• Tuesday’s start also demonstrated how electric Bubba Chandler can be. Struck out six but also walked six. Racked up 11 whiffs on his 81 pitches. Fastball averaged 99.1 mph and topped out at 101.2.
Chandler has elite velocity. When he’s commanding his fastball, he’s pretty much impossible to hit. That waned some late, but whatever. Still a lot to like from his outing, where he threw 74% fastballs and 14% changeups.
“Felt confident with it,” Chandler said of the fastball. “I just have to execute a little better.”
• There were a few clutch defensive plays in this one. It’s possible none were better than Chandler’s turn and throw to double off Jose Trevino in the third. Looked like an infielder.
“People say I'm not an athlete, but I try to be,” Chandler joked.
• People have criticized Lowe’s defense. However, he made two key plays. Dove to rob Elly De La Cruz in the third, ending the inning. Then dove again and doubled off Nathaniel Lowe in the eighth.
• Pitching-wise, loved Ramírez striking out Matt McLain on a sweeper and De La Cruz with his sweeper to end the fifth. Filthy stuff.
He’s up to 4 2/3 scoreless innings so far with seven strikeouts. Ramírez has been solid as a fireman and has always been such a great energy guy. Opponents are 1-for-14 against him, and he’s stranded all six inherited runners.
• Have to love Reynolds saying he forgot the welding hood was a thing when he got back to the dugout after his homer. Subtle sarcasm. Came on a fastball in, by the way, a pitch he crushes a lot.
Reynolds has been criticized some for his slow start, but so has everyone other than O’Hearn and Lowe. We’re only wrapping up the second series. It’ll be OK.
“When it’s the first couple games of the year, that’s all you have to talk about anyways,” Reynolds said. “It’s a small sample size, but it’s the only sample size. That’s just natural.
“Just trying to put everything in perspective and realize how many at-bats we’ve got and try not to hit the panic button and snowball it from there.”
• Continually impressed by O’Hearn. His homer ignited the offense. An important presence in the clubhouse, too.
• Kelly was ejected in the eighth inning for arguing with home-plate umpire Jordan Baker. It related to a check-swing call on Eugenio Suárez, but Kelly was unhappy Baker reacted to something said in the Pirates dugout.
I loved Kelly's answer, talking about earning respect and sticking up for his players.
"We’re fighting for respect every single day," Kelly said. "That’s gonna be all year long that we continue to do that.
"We need to pull for our guys, and we didn’t think that the call was right. I’m never gonna tell our guys to not stand up for our team. I’m not gonna stop standing up for our team."
Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH.