WASHINGTON -- It was an awfully close shave.
Not the Washington Nationals' stunning, one-run, come-from-behind wild-card win against Josh Hader and the Milwaukee Brewers. Although that was close, too. The shave in question was the one on Davey Martinez's face on Tuesday afternoon.
"I screwed up," said Washington's manager, explaining why his trademark five o'clock shadow looked more like noon. "The guard on my clipper was off on side, and I just went, oh no. I had to lower it a bit."
In other words, it wasn't some playoff superstition that Martinez had adopted during his decade as bench coach under Joe Maddon in Tampa Bay and Chicago.