Yankee Kevin Youkilis and wife Julie Brady are New York’s newest sports It couple. (
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In 2004, Kevin Youkilis and some of his Red Sox teammates hit the popular nightclub near Fenway Park known then as Avalon.
There, the newly minted third baseman bumped into the big man in Boston — Tom Brady, the square-jawed superstar quarterback for the Patriots, who had two of his three older sisters, Nancy and Julie, in tow.
As music blared through the no-frills rock venue, the Beantown players exchanged banter. Julie immediately caught Youkilis’ eye, but, intimidated by her gunslinger brother, the baseball player never got the courage to ask for her number.
Six years later, the bearded infielder would get his chance. It was during another random run-in with the blond beauty — and this time he didn’t drop the ball.
That fateful meeting happened in December 2010, when Julie Brady attended a fund-raiser organized by her younger sister, Nancy. Youkilis came to support the night’s emcee, his buddy and “Glee” actor Mike O’Malley.
“[That night] Kevin reminded me about the first time we met,” Julie Brady tells The Post. “And how he was intimidated to ask for my phone number because he didn’t want to step on any toes with Tommy.”
“Even though [Tom and Kevin] lived in the same city, the two of them didn’t really know one another. There was definitely a mutual respect for each other, as professional athletes, but Tommy advised me to take it very slow,” the 38-year-old adds.
Youkilis — who was previously married to Ben Affleck’s ex, Enza Sambataro — was bewitched by the down-to-earth Julie, who is described by friends as the “sweetest person you will ever meet.”
Julie was taken by Youkilis’ easy sense of humor and their shared values and expectations.
“Kevin made me laugh, and that is why I fell in love with him. We were really comfortable together and could talk for a long time. I suppose I understood Kevin’s life as a professional athlete and he understood my family’s life with Tommy being a pro athlete as well.”
A long-distance relationship soon bloomed — Youkilis was in Boston and Julie lived in San Francisco with her daughter from a previous relationship — but while it started out slow, it heated up fast.
Last April, the once shy suitor married into the Brady dynasty. In September, the pair had a son, Zach. And in February, the unthinkable happened when Youkilis, a Fenway favorite, was signed to a one-year contract to wear pinstripes for the Yankees — known as the Evil Empire to Red Sox fans.
So who is the newest Yankee wife with the sunny smile and famous last name?
Her brother is a three-time Super Bowl champion, her sister-in-law Gisele Bundchen is one of the world’s most beautiful supermodels and her hubby is famous for his ample facial hair and unconventional batting stance.
The second daughter of Tom Sr. and Galynn Brady, Julie, along with older sister Maureen and younger sister Nancy, was an avid athlete growing up in Northern California.
“Some families are musicians or academics. We loved sports from a young age,” says Julie, who talks in a low baby voice. “Both of my sisters were great athletes and teammates, and obviously Tommy excelled in football, but he was an outstanding baseball player, too. We always thought he would play baseball professionally one day.
“We competed hard against one another but also cheered loudest for each other. No one liked to lose,” says Julie, who played softball and basketball but pursued soccer at St. Mary’s College of California.
That same athletic inclination helps the mother of two keep her lithe body toned.
“I love to work out. I feel much more balanced when I am able to go for a swim or a jog in the morning. For me, I love being outside and staying active. It is really the only ‘me’ time I can get these days.”
Though competitive on the field, Julie is happy to leave the catwalk to her brother’s gorgeous wife.
“Gisele has never been intimidating. We all really just saw love. We saw how happy he was, how calm and comfortable he was with her. What makes her most beautiful, though, is who she is on the inside. She has an inner light,” says Julie.
The couple reportedly became engaged around last year’s Super Bowl, where her brother’s team fell to the Giants. Soon, the pair tied the knot in a small ceremony at their home in Weston, a suburb of Boston, where their immediate families feasted on fare prepared by Boston chef Ken Oringer.
“It was a beautiful evening with lots of food and laughter. It was the first night all of our immediate family members were all together in one place,” says Julie.
But shortly after they married, their world was uprooted. The Red Sox stalwart was traded to the Chicago White Sox.
“Professional sports are a tough business. And being traded is never easy. We loved Chicago, and the organization treated Kevin well. At that time, I secretly would have loved him to play for San Francisco since that’s where we were living, and I grew up a Giants fan,” she says.
And when the Yankees shocked fans by calling for her hubby to fill in for the injured A-Rod, Julie says they embraced the opportunity.
In February, Youkilis, 34, told the YES network he consulted his brother-in-law before making the move.
“I even asked [Tom] a question about coming to New York. ‘Could you ever be a Jet or a Giant?’ And he’s like, ‘I don’t know. Luckily, I’m not in your shoes.’ And I’m like, ‘Thanks a lot for your advice, buddy!’ ”
“We were thrilled,” Julie adds. “It is a phenomenal organization, rich with tradition and culture. We feel so lucky to be here and call it home.”
The couple has reportedly been looking to rent a place in TriBeCa — near Edward’s, a bar owned by Youkilis’ uncle that serves Skyline Chili (poured over spaghetti with cheese and oyster crackers), a specialty of Youkilis’ hometown of Cincinnati.
After a stint on the disabled list, Youkilis is now back on the diamond in The Bronx.
Meanwhile, the Yankee wives have embraced Julie into the fold.
“Julie is just adorable, and I love her,” says CC Sabathia’s wife Amber, who is launching a clothing line (see below), which Julie has offered to help expand into the NFL. “She’s just very sweet.”
A former special education teacher, Julie is now a stay-at-home mother with an interest in charitable causes. On June 24, she is helping organize an event for Youkilis’ charity, Youk’s Kids, to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy and the Boston marathon bombings.
“Kevin loves children, and is committed to improving the communities around him,” Julie says.
Though the past two baseball seasons have been tumultuous, the pair has established some traditions, including watching University of Cincinnati football games over Youkilis’ beloved Skyline Chili.
“When I first ate the Skyline Chili, I have to admit, I wasn’t a fan,” says Julie. “For me, it was an acquired taste. But after two years . . . I really do like it. So it will remain a tradition in our home.”
And then there’s the matter of her husband’s new face. Bound by the Yankees’ strict no-facial-hair policy, Julie’s once-hirsute hubby shaved his bushy goatee.
Asked whether she prefers the clean-shaven Youk to the hairy Youk, Julie laughs. “I think he looks younger without facial hair. But I would take him either way.”
kfleming@nypost.com
