- Michael Jordan retired after winning the 1993 NBA title
- Jordan joined the Chicago White Sox minor league team, the Birmingham Barons
- MJ played in one official exhibition MLB game against the Chicago Cubs on April 7, 1994
A lot has been said about Michael Jordan’s short baseball career. Many people claimed it was a failure and that Jordan took the spot of a minor leaguer who was more deserving of a spot on the Birmingham Barons, a Double-A minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.
Still, when you truly look back at Jordan’s numbers, they were quite impressive for a guy who hadn’t played baseball since high school.
In his minor league career with the Barons, Jordan had 88 hits, 17 doubles, 1 triple, while driving in 51 runs. Jordan also stole 30 bases, and he hit 3 home runs in 127 games, and 436 at-bats.
After playing with the Birmingham Barons, Jordan played in the Arizona Fall League for the Scottsdale Scorpions, where one of his coaches was future MLB manager Terry Francona. There, Jordan would hit .252, with 34 strikeouts and no home runs.
Many fans know about Jordan’s time in the minor leagues, but did you know that in his short baseball career, Jordan played in one official MLB game?
Jordan Played For The Chicago White Sox In An Exhibition Game
Michael Jordan played for the Chicago White Sox in an exhibition game against the Chicago Cubs on April 7, 1994. This may have only been an exhibition, but it still stands as the only official MLB game Jordan had ever played in.
The attendance for the exhibition game was 37,825, which is incredible for a game that didn’t count. Jordan played right field and hit sixth in the lineup for the White Sox. The game was played in the Cubs’ Wrigley Field.
On Jordan’s first at-bat, he went up 3-0 in the count before popping up and getting out. Jordan struggled early on, and the Chicago fans actually turned against their basketball savior when Jordan made an error, and the crowd started chanting “rookie.”
Jordan would play better as the game went on. In fact, Jordan proved his clutch gene went beyond the game of basketball. First, the White Sox trailed 4-0 before Jordan hit an RBI single down the third base line.
This was great, but MJ’s biggest moment would come later in the game when the Cubs’ lead was cut to 4-3. Jordan connected on an RBI double down the left field line to tie the game.
Even though the Cubs were the home team, the crowd now roared in excitement from Jordan’s hit. It was most likely the only time a Wrigley Field crowd cheered for an opposing player.
The game ended in a 4-4 tie after 10 innings because exhibition games don’t go longer than 10 innings. Jordan finished the game going 2 for 5 with a double and two RBI.
“I wanted him to hit for the cycle,” Cubs shortstop Shawon Dunston said. “He might have been playing for the Sox, but he is Chicago. Let’s not fool ourselves.”
Jordan proved that whatever you put your mind to if you want it bad enough, you can achieve your goals. Jordan achieved this, as he has achieved many great things in his professional basketball career.
Jordan would eventually give up his baseball dream when the baseball strike that started on August 12, 1994, dragged into 1995. MJ would return to the game of basketball on March 19, 1995, wearing his baseball number of 45.
Jordan would eventually change back to his familiar number 23. He’d lead the Chicago Bulls to three more titles in a row, bringing his title count to six and solidifying his status as the greatest basketball player of all time while also being a decent baseball player.
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