Vintage Times-Union: The time Michael Jordan came to Jacksonville to play ... baseball?

Matt Soergel, Florida Times-Union
·2 min read
Even during the national anthem on May 12, 1994, it's clear there was one person everyone focused on at Wolfson Park, home of the Jacksonville Suns: Michael Jordan (the tall one), who took a one-year break from basketball to play Double-A baseball for the Birmingham Barons.
Even during the national anthem on May 12, 1994, it's clear there was one person everyone focused on at Wolfson Park, home of the Jacksonville Suns: Michael Jordan (the tall one), who took a one-year break from basketball to play Double-A baseball for the Birmingham Barons.
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May 12, 1994, was no ordinary day at now-gone Wolfson Park, home of baseball's Double-A Jacksonville Suns.

How could it? Not when every eye was on one particularly tall and lanky player from the visiting Birmingham Barons: Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player ever, who was giving baseball a shot as a 31-year-old rookie right fielder.

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Randy Ray Boggs, 7, was one of a large number of kids at Wolfson Park on May 12, 1994, to see their hero, Michael Jordan, play baseball.
Randy Ray Boggs, 7, was one of a large number of kids at Wolfson Park on May 12, 1994, to see their hero, Michael Jordan, play baseball.

The sports world had been stunned at Jordan's retirement from the NBA's Chicago Bulls after three-straight championships. Another surprise: Jordan's decision to play baseball.

Some were skeptical, but it was hard to resist. Jordan's first game in Jacksonville had a party atmosphere and a crowd of 12,390 (including lots of kids out to see their hero).

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Birmingham Barons outfielder Michael Jordan warms up before the May 12, 1994, game against the Jacksonville Suns, who drew a then-record crowd eager to see the NBA star try baseball.
Birmingham Barons outfielder Michael Jordan warms up before the May 12, 1994, game against the Jacksonville Suns, who drew a then-record crowd eager to see the NBA star try baseball.

It was the Suns' biggest one-day turnout in more than 30 years, and it would stand until 2003 when 12,943 attended the team's opening game at the classy new baseball grounds that replaced quaint old Wolfson Park.

Back in 1994, no one in the stands seemed that upset when Jordan obliged the crowd with some late-game drama, singling home the winning run in the ninth inning, lifting Birmingham to a 5-4 victory.

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Michael Jordan relaxes in the Birmingham Barons dugout during his minor-league baseball appearnce at Wolfson Park in Jacksonville. He didn't play that day, disappointing fans who flocked to the stadium to see him.
Michael Jordan relaxes in the Birmingham Barons dugout during his minor-league baseball appearnce at Wolfson Park in Jacksonville. He didn't play that day, disappointing fans who flocked to the stadium to see him.

He ended up playing in 127 games that year, batting .202 with three home runs, 51 RBIs and 30 stolen bases. Not bad, when you figure it was his second sport. But he only played one season before returning to basketball and the Chicago Bulls and, eventually, the Hall of Fame.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: NBA star Michael Jordan came to Jacksonville in 1994 to play baseball