Kevin Youkilis Inducted Into Sea Dogs Hall of Fame

Portland, Maine- The Portland Sea Dogs in conjunction with Unum have announced that Sea Dogs third baseman Kevin Youkilis is the 2013 inductee into the Unum Portland Sea Dogs Hall of Fame. The announcement was made prior to Friday's Sea Dogs game against the Trenton Thunder (Yankees).  

"It is quite an honor," stated Youkilis. "My time in Portland was probably one of the best experiences in my minor league career. Thank you to the fans that have supported me throughout my career."

Youkilis was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the eighth round of the 2001 First-Year Player Draft and arrived in Portland in 2003, the Sea Dogs first year as a Red Sox affiliate, at the age of 24. Youkilis hit .327 (102-for-312) with six home runs and 37 RBI in 94 games for the Sea Dogs. The third baseman walked 86 times and compiled a franchise record .487 on-base percentage. His .327 average ranks as the second best single season and career mark in Sea Dogs history. Youkilis was named to both the Eastern League Mid and Post-Season All-Star teams in 2003. He also was selected to play in the MLB All-Star Futures Game held at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago on July 13th, 2003. Youkilis reached base safely in 92 of the 94 games he played with the Sea Dogs, including a franchise record 62 straight games. Youkilis was promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket on July 29th, where he reached base safely in his first nine games, extending his consecutive game on base streak to 71, tying Kevin Millar for the Minor League Baseball record.

Youkilis made his Major League debut on May 15, 2004 against Toronto and his first Major League hit was a home run off Pat Hentgen. He appeared in 72 big league games in 2004, hitting .272 and was on the Red Sox World Series roster. Youkilis is a veteran of 10 Major League seasons with the Red Sox, White Sox, and Yankees where he has appeared in 1,061 big league games and has a career batting average of .281. Youkilis is a three-time American League All-Star with the Red Sox (2008, 2009, & 2011). He earned a Rawlings Gold Glove award at first base in 2007. He set all-time Major League records at first base with 238 consecutive errorless games (7/5/06-6/6/08) and 2,002 total chances (7/4/06-6/6/08) without a miscue. Casey Kotchman has broken both records, but Youkilis still holds the American League record.

On June 24, 2012, Youkilis was traded to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for infielder Brent Lillibridge and pitcher Zach Stewart. He signed with the Yankees as a free agent on December 14, 2012.

Youkilis was selected by the fans as the third baseman on the Sea Dogs 20th Season All-Time team.

The Portland Sea Dogs Hall of Fame was established in 2005. Youkilis joins Josh Beckett, John Boles, Dan Burke, Bob Ganley, Adrian Gonzalez, Fredi Gonzalez, Livan Hernandez, Charles Johnson, Mark Kotsay, Kevin Millar, Mike Redmond, Edgar Renteria, Bill Troubh, and Carlos Tosca as members of the Unum Portland Sea Dogs Hall of Fame.

To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, players must have debuted with the Sea Dogs at least ten years ago and had success in Portland and beyond. Each inductee is presented a plaque for their accomplishment. In addition, plaques of the Hall of Fame members are displayed in the Hadlock Field concourse. Fans can also visit the Sea Dogs Hall of Fame section online at www.seadogs.com.  

The Sea Dogs' 2013 campaign concludes on Monday, September 2nd at 1:00 PM. Tickets are available for all remaining games. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Sea Dogs Ticket Office at 207-879-9500 or order online at www.seadogs.com.