Hearing an umpire call “play ball!” is nothing new in Florida. Major league spring training began here in 1888, when the Washington Statesmen (later the Washington Senators) visited Jacksonville to play a series of pre-season exhibition games.

Florida became a popular choice for spring training in the early 1900s. Between 1903 and 1909, Jacksonville played host to the Philadelphia athletics, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Braves, and Brooklyn Dodgers.

Later, cities farther south became favorite training locations. The “grapefruit league” was established in 1914, and played a 5-week schedule of pre-season games against semi-pro teams and each other.

Today, 16 teams still train in Florida, continuing the “grapefruit league” spring training tradition that adds excitement to the lives of Floridians, and the thousands of tourists who come to enjoy baseball in the sunshine state.

Information provided by the Florida Division of Historical Resources, a division of the Florida Department of State.