In a September interview with Heidi Watney of the New England Sports Network, Johnny Bench, who was watching a Cleveland Indians / Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park, did an impression of late Chicago Cubs announcer Harry Caray after Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis, a native of Cincinnati, made a tough play.

" Youkilis was drafted in 2001 by the Boston Red Sox and heavily desired by Beane, who tried to snare him via a failed three-team trade discussed in the book.

This record was tied in 2003 by future Red Sox teammate Kevin Youkilis.

Known for his ability to get on base, Youkilis ( while still a minor leaguer ) was nicknamed " Euclis: The Greek God of Walks " in the best-selling book, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game.

" Youkilis was named to the Sporting News list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball, ranking No. 36 on the list in 2009, No. 38 in 2010, and No. 35 in 2011.

When he graduated from high school in 1997, Youkilis weighed about 227 pounds and was 6 ' 1 ".

He was recruited by two Division I schools: Butler University and his ultimate choice, the University of Cincinnati ( UC )— an institution that was the alma mater of both his father and Youkilis ' longtime idol, Sandy Koufax, and had just finished a 12 – 46 season.

" Cleary, noting how driven Youkilis was to succeed, told his father: " Your son's going to be a millionaire some day.

" Youkilis was later inducted into UC's James Kelly Athletics Hall of Fame.

On May 15, 2004, when Red Sox regular starting third baseman Bill Mueller was placed on the disabled list, Youkilis was called up for the first time.

Later, Youkilis was swept up in the team's ritual annual hazing, in which he and other rookies were made to wear skimpy Hooters waitress outfits, orange satin shorts and tight, clingy white tank tops, for the team trip from Canada through US Customs in Florida.

" Youkilis was named AL Rookie of the Month for May, after leading AL rookies with nine walks and a. 446 OBP as he batting. 318 with 7 RBIs, and 15 runs in 13 games.

On September 24 of that year, which was Yom Kippur, Youkilis appeared in the dugout in uniform, but declined to participate in the game out of deference to the religious holiday.

Youkilis was named the club's Rookie of the Year by the Boston chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

While virtually nobody else knew it, Youkilis broke his toe during spring training in 2005, and was back playing again in a matter of days.

It was " in Vero Beach ," Youkilis said.

Also that year, Youkilis was 2nd in the American League ( AL ) in pitches seen ( 3, 009 ) and percent of pitches taken ( 63. 8 ), 4th in OBP with runners in scoring position with two outs (. 524 ), 7th in bases on balls ( 91 ; the six players ahead of him averaged 41 home runs and 14 intentional walks, while Youkilis hit only 13 homers and was not intentionally walked once ), tied for 7th in " bases taken " ( 22 ; advanced on fly balls, passed balls, wild pitches, balks, etc.

On June 1, Yankees pitcher Scott Proctor hit Youkilis in the head with a pitch ; Proctor was ejected from the game.

In 2007, Youkilis was 6th in the AL with 15 hit by pitch ( HBP ).

It was his first homer since returning from being hit by Wang, and Youkilis said his wrist " felt a lot better as the days have progressed.

The episode was recorded at Boston's Eagle's Deli and featured Youkilis rooting against host ( and New York Yankees fan ) Adam Richman in an eating challenge.

Youkilis in Houston, June 2008

On April 2, 2008, on an unassisted game-ending play against the Oakland A's, Youkilis broke the Major League record for most consecutive error-less games by a first baseman, previously held by Steve Garvey, at 194 games.

In 2008, Youkilis led the AL in at bats per RBI ( 4. 7 ), was 3rd in slugging percentage (. 569 ) and sacrifice flies ( 9 ), 4th in RBIs ( 115 ), extra base hits ( 76 ), and OPS (. 958 ); 5th in hit by pitch ( 12 ); 6th in batting average (. 312 ) and on-base percentage (. 390 ); 7th in doubles ( 43 ) and in times advanced from first to third on a single ( 14 ); 8th in total bases ( 306 ), 10th in at-bats per home run ( 18. 6 ), and 12th in home runs ( 29 ).

Youkilis finished third in the balloting for the 2008 AL MVP Award, receiving two first-place votes ( one from Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News ), while his teammate Dustin Pedroia won and Justin Morneau came in second.

Of the players with 1, 000 plate appearances in the AL over the 2008 – 09 seasons, none had a higher OPS than Youkilis (. 960 ).

Youkilis was named the Jewish MVP for 2008, beating out fellow All-Stars Braun and Kinsler.

In November 2008, Youkilis and Enza Sambataro held a wedding ceremony in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, although the couple never formalized their wedding.

Mauer won his first Gold Glove award in 2008, announced on November 6, He finished fourth in the balloting for American League Most Valuable Player, behind Dustin Pedroia, Justin Morneau, and Kevin Youkilis.

The previous record had been held by Kevin Youkilis of the Boston Red Sox, established between July 4, 2006, and June 6, 2008.

In 2006, Leary and Lenny Clarke appeared on television during a Red Sox telecast and, upon realizing that Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis is Jewish, delivered a criticism of Mel Gibson's antisemitic comments .< ref >

In 2006, Clarke and Leary appeared on television during a Red Sox telecast and, upon realizing that Red Sox 1st baseman Kevin Youkilis is Jewish, delivered a criticism of Mel Gibson's anti-semitic comments .< ref >

Youkilis is the son of a Romanian Jewish jewelry wholesaler, whom Youkilis has described as a " well-known third baseman in the Jewish Community Center fast-pitch softball league.

On August 8, 2005, while playing for the Red Sox, Youkilis took the field in the 9th inning along with Adam Stern and Gabe Kapler, setting a " record " for the most Jewish players on the field at one time in AL history, and the most in Major League Baseball history since four Jewish players took the field for the New York Giants in a game in 1941.

" In my religion, the Jewish religion, that's one of the biggest things that's taught, is giving a mitzvah, forming a mitzvah ", said Youkilis.

On August 8, 2005, while playing for the Red Sox, Kapler took the field in the 9th inning along with Kevin Youkilis and Adam Stern, setting a " record " for the most Jewish players on the field at one time in American League history and the most in Major League Baseball history since four Jews took the field for the New York Giants in a game in 1941.

He, Kevin Youkilis, and Gabe Kapler set a record for most Jewish players on a team at once since the expansion era.

On August 8, 2005, while playing for the Red Sox, Stern took the field in the 9th inning along with Kevin Youkilis and Gabe Kapler, setting a " record " for the most Jewish players on the field at one time in American League history and the most in Major League Baseball history since four Jews took the field for the New York Giants in a game in.

He joined, among other Jewish major leaguers, Brad Ausmus, Kevin Youkilis, Ian Kinsler, Ryan Braun, Gabe Kapler, Scott Feldman, John Grabow, Craig Breslow, Jason Hirsh, and Scott Schoeneweis.

Kevin Edmund Youkilis (; born March 15, 1979 ), also known as " Youk " (), is an American professional baseball infielder with the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball.

Youkilis ( center ), Josh Beckett ( left ), and Barack Obama before the start of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, July 2009

Besides Wakefield and Youkilis, other Major League Baseball players that performed at Lake Olmstead Stadium include Moisés Alou, Emmanuel Burriss, Carlos García, John Grabow, Brian Horwitz, Jason Kendall, Orlando Merced, Hanley Ramírez, Pablo Sandoval, Eugenio Vélez, Brian Wilson ( baseball ) and Tony Womack.

In April 2006, he changed his hair to a Mohawk style, after Charlie Sheen's character Ricky Vaughn from the film Major League due to a wager with teammate Kevin Youkilis in which they bet whether he could start the season with 10 scoreless innings.