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American League single-season home run king Aaron Judge, baseball's biggest free agent by stature and statistical prowess, momentarily spiked the delusions of Rays fans desperate for a big bat with his pregame appearance on the sideline Monday. Judge, whose 62 home runs this past season eclipsed Roger Maris' 61-year-old AL record, was spotted on the sideline in a red Mike Evans No. 13 jersey before the game.
Roughly two months earlier, Evans sported a No. 99 road Yankees jersey in the locker room following a Week 5 win against the Falcons. At the time, ESPN reported the two met once during baseball's spring training. "He had my jersey on?" Evans said afterward. "He's a legend. ... That's my guy. Unbelievable player. Cool dude, too."
Judge watched Evans (four catches, 59 yards) move into 50th place on the NFL's all-time receiving yardage list. He's at 10,062 yards.
Not a popular punt
A night that elicited periodic boos drew its heartiest chorus of them midway through the fourth quarter, when coach Todd Bowles opted to punt on fourth and 10 from his own 25. Bowles initially had the offense on the field, but pulled it off. At that point, the Bucs trailed by 13 with 7:06 remaining. "We had a lot of time on the clock right there," Bowles said. "And we figured we'd get them backed up, make them punt and still get the same field position."
They did. The defense forced a three-and-out, and the Bucs took over at their own 9 with 5:21 remaining after a 35-yard Blake Gillikin punt. Ten plays later, they scored to cut the deficit to six.
Joey Knight, The Tampa Bay Times, published 6 December 2022
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