The injury was bad enough to require surgery and for Brumfield to sit out the next two seasons before the pain reduced enough for him to hit the field again, The Sentinel wrote.
"Suddenly, it didn't hurt as badly as the day before and the pain gradually went away," Brumfield told The Sentinel.
Brumfield spoke to The Sentinel after two seasons in AA. He went on to see AAA for the first time that year and, two seasons later, the majors. By the time his career was over, he'd seen time in seven big league campaigns with four different clubs.
Brumfield's career began in 1983, taken by the Cubs in the seventh round of the draft out of Hammond High School in Louisiana.
Brumfield played his season with the Cubs at rookie Pikeville. He saw 42 games and hit .257 before his injury.
He returned to the field in 1986 with the Royals at single-A Fort Myers. He made AA Memphis in 1987 and AAA Omaha for 24 games in 1990.
Brumfield moved to the Reds system in 1992 and debuted with Cincinnati that April. He saw 24 games with the Reds and hit .133.
"It was great," Brumfield told The Cincinnati Enquirer that April of the leadup to his debut. "I was looking forward to Opening Day in Cincinnati. It was everything people told me about."
He then returned to the Reds for 1993 and saw 103 games and hit .268, then 68 games in 1994, hitting .311.
Brumfield went on a run in July 1994 as he filled in for Deion Sanders, going on a seven-game hit streak and bolstering his average to .333, The Enquirer wrote.
Brumfield moved to the Pirates for 1995 and saw 116 games, hitting .271. He also got into a scary collision in the outfield in a July game, The Associated Press wrote. Brumfield suffered facial cuts and fellow outfielder Dave Clark a broken collarbone.
"I got up, felt dizzy and there was blood running down my face," Brumfield told The AP. "Yeah, I was scared. We hit hard - real hard. I blacked out. It was a blur, but then I was all right."
Brumfield played another 119 games in the majors in 1996, between the Pirates and the Blue Jays, then 58 with the Blue Jays in 1997. He then saw 80 final games with the Dodgers and Blue Jays in 1999 to end his big league career.
He continued for two more seasons in the minors with the White Sox and in independent ball, making 17 pro seasons played in all.
- Orlando Sentinel, May 27, 1990: Brumfield wants to play the field
- Cincinnati Enquirer, April 7, 1992: Brumfield draws an early spotlight
- Spokane Spokesman-Review, Associated Press, July 26, 1995: Outfield Crash Injures Pirates
Made the Majors:1,391-32.5%-X
Never Made Majors:2,895-67.5%
10+ Seasons in the Minors:347
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