SubscribeMore on Kevin Youkilis and Yom Kippur
In yesterday’s Chicago Tribune, Kevin Youkilis expressed appreciation for the starting time change in the Sept. 25 game from 7:10 to 1:10.
According to the story, “Youkilis said he hasn’t played on Yom Kippur. ‘It’s one of those things where I played the night after,’ Youkilis said. ‘But other than that, no.’”
“The night after?” The night after what? Does he mean the evening of the day of Yom Kippur? Or totally the night of the day after YK? And other than what, no?
Well, that got me to thinking (curse you, Rob Neyer).
Youkilis told the reporter that he “hasn’t played on Yom Kippur.” He’s been in the Majors since May of 2004.
Here are the dates of Erev Yom Kippur and YK proper (via HebCal.com) and the Red Sox schedule.
| Dates | Red Sox Play? | Youkilis Play? |
| 2004: 9/24, 9/25 | 9/21, Red Sox lost to Yankees, 6-4 9/22, Red Sox beat Yankees, 12-5 |
Youkilis did not play Youkilis did not play |
| 2005: 10/12, 10/13 | Red Sox lost to the White Sox in the AL Division Series | No games |
| 2006: 10/1, 10/2 | Red Sox beat the Orioles, 9-0 (5:30 start) No game on 10/2 |
Youkilis did not appear in the game No game |
| 2007: 9/21, 9/22 | Red Sox beat Tampa Bay 8-0 Red Sox beat Tampa Bay 8-6 |
Youkilis did not appear in the game Youkilis did not appear in the game |
| 2008: 10/8, 10/9 | Red Sox were off between the ALDS and ALCS Red Sox were off between the ALDS and ALCS |
No games No game |
| 2009: 9/27, 9/28 | Red Sox lost to the Yankees 4-2 Red Sox lost to the Blue Jays 11-5 |
Youkilis was 1-3 with a walk, strikeout Youkilis was 2-3 with two homes runs, two runs scored, three RBIs |
| 2010: 9/17, 9/18 | Red Sox lost to the Blue Jays 11-9 Red Sox lost to the Blue Jays 4-3 |
Youkilis did not appear in the game Youkilis did not appear in the game |
| 2011: 10/7, 10/8 | Red Sox season was over Red Sox season was over |
No game No game |
The Red Sox won the world championship in 2004 and 2007, so one would think there would have been more pressure on Youkilis — either from himself or the team — to play. In addition, Youkilis did not play after Aug. 11, 2010 due to injury, but the Red Sox didn’t make it to the post-season anyway.
So what can we conclude here? Was it a conscious decision for Youkilis not to play on the days when the Red Sox had games that fell on Yom Kippur, or was it management, who just decided he needed a day off? Because contrary to his statement, he did play at least a few games on the Day of Atonement. Just sayin’. I do not mean to denigrate Youkilis in any way; he’s actually a pretty good guy when it comes to connecting with his religion, very generous with his time for causes. But in this case, he seems to have misremembered.
1. Yom Kippu in 2004 was on Sept 24/25. He didn’t play. http://www.hebcal.com/hebcal/?v=1;year=2004;month=9;nx=on;nh=on;mf=on;ss=on;vis=on;set=off;tag=fp.ql
2. The game on Sept 27, 2009 was an afternoon game (Sunday)
3. The game on Sept 28, 2009 was in Toronto, so it started at 7:05PM (with two anthems), and the game doesn’t start until after 7:15PM. Sunset in Toronto was at 7:13.
Not a bad track record in my opinion…
Good catches. Don’t want to pick nits, but, but as to the last date, even if the game started after sundown, I seriously doubt Youkilis just ran onto the field cold, i.e., without warming up. You can argue that Youkilis technically wasn’t working until Yom Kippur was over, but I consider the pregame prep part of the job.
I agree that that is part of the “job”, but it seems he disagrees, and I don’t think it’s fair to criticize him for his interpretation…