Longoria chalked up his personal success against Tillman to running into him frequently as AL East adversaries, along with coincidence.
"You play long enough in this league, you're bound to run into some guys you have success against," Longoria said. "Whether you see the ball coming out of their hand a little better, or if you have a little bit better feel for how they pitch you and the way that they sequence you. Like I said, I wasn't looking for that pitch, but I was able to stay through it."
With 253 career home runs, only 18 active players have more long balls than Longoria.