The Pittsburgh Pirates first introduced the traffic come home run celebration in the team's 8-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds on March 31. Fans have been wondering where it came from. Finally, we now know the answer thanks to Paul Skenes.

While appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show,” the 23-year-old ace claims his teammates simply found the traffic cone before Tuesday's contest in Cincinnati. It was seemingly in the parking lot, and Skenes claims right fielder Jake Mangum brought it into the clubhouse.

“There's probably a player's parking spot in Cincinnati,” said Skenes. “After Mangum brought it in. He probably just stole it from a parking lot somewhere. But we got it, and it's made its way back to Pittsburgh.”

The 2025 Cy Young Award winner went on to claim he hopes the Pirates' traffic cone home run celebration remains with the team throughout the entire 2026 campaign. Interestingly enough, the club is undefeated since introducing the cone, beating the Reds 8-3 in back-to-back matchups.

The traffic cone will have a chance to make another appearance on Friday when the Pirates take on the Baltimore Orioles at 4:12 p.m. EST. It will be the first contest of a three-game series, and it will be the first series at home for the Pirates.

As for Paul Skenes, he likely won't make another mound appearance until Tuesday, April 7, when the Pirates take on the San Diego Padres at home. His second outing of the season was much more successful than Opening Day, as Skenes ended the series against the Reds with five strikeouts while allowing three hits, two walks, and one earned run through 5.0 innings.