Greg Montalbano never made the big leagues. His entire professional career was in the minor leagues. But on Saturday, he had a big impact on a pair of star hitters who pointed to him as the reason why they played well.
Montalbano pitched for the Boston Red Sox in the minor leagues. On Saturday morning, he lost his near decade long battle with testicular cancer. Kevin Youkilis, his former minor league teammate, and Carlos Pena, his college teammate at Northeastern, both made him proud later in the day.
Pena hit a first inning homer for the Tampa Bay Rays against the Texas …read more

On Monday, tempers started to erupt in the ballgame between the Boston Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers. On Tuesday, there was a full-blown brawl. You can see a video of the brawl between the Red Sox and Tigers at the end of the entry.
To lead off the second inning, Rick Porcello hit Kevin Youkilis. Youkilis reacted by dropping his bat and running toward Porcello. On his way to the mound, Youkilis threw his helmet. A couple seconds later, both players were on the ground.
When the dust settled, the Red Sox had beaten the Tigers by a final count of …read more

Many first baseman around Major League Baseball have gotten off to unbelievable starts to their 2009 campaigns. If you have any of these players on your fantasy baseball team, you are undoubtedly loving the production. Here are the top five first baseman in these fantasy baseball rankings:
5) Carlos Pena, Tampa Bay Rays
Although his batting average is lower than preferred (.256), Carlos Pena is off to an otherwise fantastic start for the Rays. He already has nine homers in his first 22 games, while also driving in 24 RBIs, scoring 14 runs and walking 11 times.
4) Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red Sox
Kevin …read more

The Boston Red Sox have taken steps to keep their young stars in place for the long haul. This time, they signed Kevin Youkilis to a four-year deal that is believed to be worth approximately $40 million. Earlier in the offseason, the Red Sox signed Dustin Pedroia to an extension worth approximately the same amount.
Youkilis has quietly become one of the best hitters in baseball. Last season, the 29-year-old corner infielder hit .312 with 29 homers and 115 RBI. It was Youkilis’ third year as a full-time starter and by far his best season of the three.
Although he spent time …read more

Some claim Dustin Pedroia is about 5-foot-5 in real life. However, all must now admit that Pedroia is the 2008 American League Most Valuable Player.
Pedroia, the second baseman for the Boston Red Sox, handily won the award by beating out Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins and his teammate Kevin Youkilis. Pedroia not only was very good in the field, at the plate he was one of the most dangerous players in the AL.
He finished the season with a .326 batting average and 17 homers, 83 RBIs, 118 runs scored and 213 hits. The 25-year-old improved his numbers across the …read more

The Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox drew first blood in their respective championship series. The Phillies topped the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-5, while the Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 2-0.
In the National League affair, the Phillies got off to an early lead and held on late as they won in front of their home fans. The hitting stars were outfielder Shane Victorino and pitcher Brett Myers. In fact, Myers was much better with the bat than he was with the ball as he went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs. On the mound, he gave up …read more

Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis of the Boston Red Sox recently got into a little scuffle in the dugout as the team was playing the Tampa Bay Rays. You can watch a video of the Youkilis and Ramirez fight at the end of this entry.
The story that goes along with this fight involves some Red Sox teammates supposedly having a problem with Youkilis slamming bats and throwing his helmet after poor at bats. Reportedly, a few teammates, including Ramirez, don’t appreciate Youkilis getting angry about poor at bats when the Red Sox are comfortably ahead. That disagreement …read more