Kevin Youkilis to retire after 10 seasons
The man once heralded as the "Greek God of Walks" is hanging up his cleats.
15-yr client, Kevin Youkilis, after deep thought about family and health, is calling it a career. Been a great one! Love ya, Youk. #YOOOUUUK
— Pro Star Management (@prostarmgmt) October 30, 2014
Youkilis, who spent 2014 playing with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball, finishes his 10-year MLB career slashing .281/.382/.478 with 150 home runs, 618 RBIs and 539 walks in 1,061 games.
Selected 243rd by the Boston Red Sox in the 2001 draft, Youkilis was a rookie for the team's 2004 World Series win and developed into an integral part to the Red Sox's championship team in 2007.
Youkilis won a Gold Glove and was named to three All-Star games during his nine years with the Red Sox, but was ultimately traded to the Chicago White Sox in 2012 as the team made room for then up-and-coming prospect Will Middlebrooks. Youkilis went on to play 80 games with the White Sox before signing with the New York Yankees for the 2013 season.
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
The 35-year-old retires as the Red Sox unfortunate franchise leader by being hit by a pitch 86 times.