Local Baseball Official to Share Insights into Scoring Major League Games

Tacoma resident Gary Brooks, a Major League Baseball official scorer for the Seattle Mariners, will discuss the intricacies of his role at the Tacoma-Pierce Athletic Commission’s monthly luncheon on November 13.

Brooks completed his first season as an MLB official scorer this year, working 21 Mariners regular season games and two crucial playoff contests – including the deciding Game 5 of the American League Division Series against Detroit and Game 5 of the ALCS featuring Eugenio Suarez’s grand slam. Accurate scoring is vital as it directly impacts player statistics and potential awards.

At the luncheon, Brooks plans to share examples of challenging scoring decisions and explain the appeal process. “I thought I would perhaps show a couple different video clips of decisions that could go either way and why I decided the way it went,” he said. “I’ll also talk about how the process works if a player or team wants to appeal an official scorer’s decision and how those get reviewed and upheld or overturned.” Brooks’s career began with the Tacoma News Tribune in the mid-1990s, covering high school sports and assisting veteran sportswriter Larry LaRue.

Before becoming a Certified Financial Planner, Brooks also spent time as a Major League Baseball editor at CBSSports.com and even witnessed the New York Yankees’ 1999 World Series celebration firsthand. He began scoring games at the minor league level with the Tacoma Rainiers in 2006, a role he held for 18 seasons before being selected to score for the Mariners. More information about the TAC and its events can be found at tacomaathletic.com.

Brooks is expected to provide attendees with a unique perspective on a critical, often-overlooked aspect of the game, and will discuss his volunteer work with local sports organizations.