Old scorebooks, part 6 — Eddie Brooks’ homer binge

June 2, 2016 FieldsColumn

Eddie Brooks was a slick-fielding sophomore on Lafayette’s 1989 title team. (Herald-Leader photo)

Bryan Station baseball coach Eddie Brooks was a star in his playing days at Lafayette. He was a slick-fielding sophomore infielder who batted ninth on the Generals’ 1989 state championship team.

But Brooks wielded a dangerous bat at the bottom of the order, and he showed plenty of power at the plate in the playoffs that year.

He smacked three home runs — two in one inning! — in Lafayette’s 22-0 rout of Franklin County in the region semifinals. Brooks hit a 2-run homer in the fourth, then belted a solo shot and a 3-run dinger in the sixth to highlight a 15-run uprising by Lafayette.

Exactly one week later, Brooks hit a pair of two-run homers against Danville ace Paul Morse in the sectional semifinals at Somerset as the Generals won 11-1.

What made Brooks’ post-season power display surprising was that he hit only one home run during the regular season.

Brooks went on to have a standout career at UK, and after his junior year was drafted in the fifth round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played in the minor leagues for the Pirates and New York Mets.

Here are the scorebook pages for Brooks’ home-run binge 27 years ago:

brooks1

Old scorebooks, part 6 — Eddie Brooks’ homer binge

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