

Nationals bullpen coach Matt LeCroy during spring training. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post)

The Nationals are one loss away from ending their season. So entering NLDS Game 3 on Monday in San Francisco, Nationals bullpen coach Matt LeCroy will turn to a superstition that has proved successful this season: He will make himself a banana-mayo sandwich before first pitch and eat it.

“We gotta go, baby,” LeCroy said.

LeCroy, a South Carolina native and former Clemson baseball player, has eaten the sandwich his entire life. As a minor leaguer, he would eat the cheap meal. It didn’t become a superstition, however, until he became a minor league manager.

Earlier in the season, when the Nationals were struggling through injuries and inconsistent play, LeCroy turned to the traditional Southern delicacy before games to snap the team out of its rut. He eats the sandwich before a dire, must-win game and he is proud of the team’s 7-0 record when he does.

“Hoping to make it eight,” he said with a smile before running out to the field during batting practice.

Doug Fister starts for the Nationals and will be opposed by the Giants’ best starter, Madison Bumgarner.

In the Nationals dugout, there was another good-luck charm: a Maneki-neko, a gold cat figurine that waves its left paw and is meant to bring good fortunate in Japanese culture.