Evan Longoria swung at the first pitch of the fourth inning Friday night, and the sellout crowd inside Tropicana Field rose as one and gasped as one and then yelled as one, hoping to see another piece of evidence in the case that the rookie third baseman might just be the best thing to ever happen to the once-hopeless Tampa Bay Rays.
Alas, the ball landed in foul territory.
And Longoria eventually struck out.
Hey, even Superman had an off day or two.
The day before belonged to Longoria, who homered on the first two swings he ever took in the postseason.
This afternoon could belong to Longoria, too.
He's that type of player.
"He's always in the moment," Rays manager Joe Maddon said.
The moment was never bigger for the Rays than it will be today in Chicago when they try to finish off the White Sox in the third game of this best-of-five American League Division Series.
The Rays won the first two games. One more victory, and they move on to play for the American League pennant.
It's been a team effort during the first two games of this series, just as it has been a team effort this whole season for the American League East champs.
But even the rest of the team looks a little differently at Longoria, who should win the rookie of the year award and maybe earn more than a few votes for AL MVP.
The Rays got real good real fast when Longoria joined the club in April.
"He's just amazing us," left fielder Carl Crawford said.
Designated hitter Cliff Floyd said Longoria has that "it," the same "it" all the good ones have.
Longoria doesn't disagree.
"I'd like to think of myself as atypical," Longoria said. "I want to be a special player."
He already is.
How special?
Well, it was his pinch-hit double in the All-Star Game that started the American League's comeback over the National League.
It's his No. 3 jersey you see fans wearing to Buccaneers games.
At Bucs games!
"We're all in awe," Crawford said, which is funny because there are a lot of people in awe of Crawford.
On the June day in 2006 when the Rays took him with the third overall pick in the draft, Longoria was asked during a conference call if he was related to Eva Longoria, the "Desperate Housewives" star.
Longoria said he doesn't get asked that question anymore.
You know who does?
Eva.
Her publicist said Eva is often asked if she is related to Evan.
Eva sent Evan a bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne after the All-Star Game. Evan sent Eva an autographed jersey.
"I thought it was funny when someone first told me that there was an Evan Longoria playing for the Tampa Bay Rays, but I kept hearing his name being mentioned after another Rays win," Eva said through her publicist, Liza Anderson. "It's good to see that he is representing the Longorias well and keeping the name proud,"
It's not often a Rays player has lived up to his hype. It has happened once, and that player was Crawford. But the expectations surrounding Crawford grew as Crawford developed into one of the best left fielders in the game.
Longoria's legend arrived before Longoria, and it has only grown as he helped lead the Rays out of the darkness and into their first-ever postseason.
Then he did something not even Mickey Mantle did - homered in his first two postseason at-bats.
"Scary," Floyd said.
Scary good.
Just like his team.
The Big Ray Machine is one win away from playing for a chance to go to the World Series.
Longoria is one season into what some predict will be a Hall of Fame career.
That's getting way ahead of ourselves. The Hall of Fame thing, that is.
If the Rays have proved anything this season, it is that nothing is impossible.
And if Longoria has proved anything, it is no stage is too big for his game.
"Take us all the way, Longo," Crawford said.
To the World Series, baseball's biggest stage.
What might Longoria do there? Rays fans are desperate to find out.
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