UC baseball retired Kevin Youkilis' number 36 this May, an honor he deserved the minute he retired from professional baseball in 2014.
Nicknamed "The Greek God of Walks" for his SABR-metric super power for getting on base, Cincinnati-native Youkilis broke most of the Bearcats' career offensive marks during his four years "down the drive" (1998-2001).
To this day, he holds the UC career marks for home runs, on-base percentage, runs, and, of course, walks. He ranks second in batting average and third in RBIs,
To honor Youkilis in this video vault, I have selected one of the most memorable games from his ten-year Major League career, his Fenway Park finale in June 2012. Hampered by injuries and displaced at third base by Will Middlebrooks, the Red Sox decided to trade Youkilis during their one disastrous Bobby Valentine-guided campaign.
Youkilis put on a great show with his bat and his glove that afternoon three summers ago as trade rumors swirled on every local and national television outlet.
Speaking as a lifelong Red Sox fan, I found the standing ovation he received from the Fenway faithful that afternoon to be one of the mistiest I remember.
