Sean Doolittle ran from the Nationals dugout and jumped over the first-base foul line, a superstition that is common among many players.
“I never step on the line,” he said.
But there was little else common about Doolittle’s afternoon at Nationals Park. The lefty closer recorded just the second five-out save of his career Thursday as the Nationals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-1 to sweep the four-game series.
Doolittle got the last two outs of the eighth and then retreated to Washington’s first-base dugout, where he stayed near indoor batting cages as the Nationals took their swings against the Pirates.