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Savannah Bananas 2024 World Tour: Schedule, Tickets, Roster, and More in Banana Ball

The Savannah Bananas are bringing their unique brand of baseball to their 2024 world tour, including games at six MLB stadiums like Citizens Bank Park.

• 26 cities on the tour
• 11 rules of Banana Ball for added entertainment
• Games played against the Party Animals with planned celebrations and dances
• Full roster for the 2024 season
• Tickets available on StubHub for upcoming games

Excitement continues as the Savannah Bananas tour progresses, with more games and entertaining Banana Ball action.

The Savannah Bananas' 2024 world tour brings a mix of baseball and entertainment that is a must-see for sports fans looking for something fresh and fun.

Read more at @sportingnews

The summary of the linked article was generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence technology from OpenAI

@sportingnews • @jordangreer42

Savannah Bananas schedule 2024: Tickets, prices, roster and more to know for world tour | Sporting News

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The savannah bananas announce 2024 banana ball world tour schedule; tampa bay to launch tour festivities, bananas also announce new golden batter rule; firefighters become the newest team.

The Savannah Bananas are bringing “The Greatest Show in Sports” (ESPN) to one million fans and six Major League Baseball stadiums across 29 cities and 20 states in 2024.

The tour begins with a return to George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa Bay on February 8 and a return visit to the Peoria Sports Complex the following weekend. The Bananas will celebrate the eighth anniversary of the Bananas team name by opening up Savannah games on February 23, and 24, and the official anniversary date of February 25. The Bananas will also return to Jacksonville, Fresno, Sacramento, Oklahoma City, Durham, Nashville, Indianapolis, and Des Moines in 2024.

Taken with the number one overall draft pick at the 2024 Banana Ball World Tour Draft, Tampa Bay, which hosted a pair of memorable Savannah Bananas contests during the 2023 Tour, will launch the 2024 version on February 8-10 at George Steinbrenner Field. in 2023, the Bananas upended the Party Animals 5-4 during their first night in Tampa Bay, before taking down the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) 8-0 the following night. 

"Team Tampa Bay is beyond excited for this opportunity to help launch the 2024 Banana Ball World Tour in our own backyard," said Rob Higgins, Executive Director at the Tampa Bay Sports Commission. “As we saw with the two sold-out crowds at Steinbrenner Field in 2023, the community is yearning for more Banana Ball and we’re pumped to have that special opportunity again in just a few short months. We're thankful for Jesse Cole entrusting us to kick off their tour as only Tampa Bay can. We look forward to seeing all of Bananaland back in Tampa Bay."

The Bananas will play in their first Major League Baseball stadium on March 9 at Minute Maid Park in Houston. The Bananas will play at six MLB ballparks in total, with other stops being at Fenway Park in Boston, Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., Progressive Field in Cleveland, Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, and loanDepot Park in Miami.

“We continue to think big with Banana Ball and are thrilled to announce our most ambitious schedule yet,” said Bananas owner Jesse Cole.

“From playing in front of 500,000 fans in 2023 to now entertaining more than one million in 2024, we’re fired up to take this to the MLB level and visit some of the most beautiful and iconic ballparks, as well as watch the Party Animals become the headliner in four different cities. The 2024 Banana Ball World Tour will take our young sport to a higher level than ever before,” he continued.

The Party Animals will be taking over Historic Grayson Stadium again in 2024 hosting six games across two weekends. For the first time, they will be the headliners of a party-packed show in Las Vegas, Nevada, Greensboro, North Carolina, and Greenville, South Carolina.

This year’s tour wraps up at loanDepot Park in Miami on October 12, before 2,500 fans pack their bags and set sail on the first ever Bananas cruise - Bananaland at Sea – from October 14 through October 18. Fans will on board with their favorite Banana Ball characters, players, dancers, performers, and mascots.

“We’ve been building Banana Ball since 2018 and set some lofty goals and as incredible as it feels to have accomplished so many of them so quickly, we’re still just in our first inning,” said Bananas’ head coach Tyler Gillum. “2024 will be the next step on the ladder of creating the Greatest Show in Sports. We can’t wait to put on a better show than ever for the fans!”

New for the 2024 tour, will be the eleventh rule of Banana Ball, the Golden Batter Rule. With this rule, one time a game a team may send any batter in the lineup to hit it any spot.

“The goal of this rule is to have your best hitter be able to hit when the game is on the line," said Jesse Cole. “We believe this will make each game as competitive as it gets until the final out of the game.”

The Bananas will face off against their rival, the Party Animals, and the newest Banana Ball team, The Firefighters. All three team rosters will be filled with the most entertaining and talented players in the world, including former MLB stars and celebrity guests. In 2023, former Major League stars Jake Peavy, Hunter Pence, Johnny Damon, Josh Reddick, and Barry Zito all joined the team during the tour.

“I think this year showed people that we aren’t just here to entertain but that we can actually play at a very high level too,” Bananas’ infielder Jackson Olson said. “2023 was life-changing for all of us but 2024 is about to be the biggest challenge yet and we’re all ready for it.”

When the Savannah Bananas are not on the road, they play their home games in front of a sold-out, 4,000-person crowd at Grayson Stadium in Savannah, Georgia. Bananas games at Grayson Stadium have been sold out for eight straight years.

To learn more, please visit  https://bananaball.com/tickets/  or  https://www.bananaslottery2024.fansfirsttickets.com/  .

About the Savannah Bananas

The Savannah Bananas are a baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia and play their home games at Historic Grayson Stadium, but they take the show on the road on their Banana Ball World Tour. The team has been featured on ESPN, Wall Street Journal, CNN, and Sports Illustrated and are made popular by their in-game entertainment and social media presence.

The team has been known as TikTok’s favorite team with over 7.5 million followers, millions more than every MLB team. The Bananas have been featured across the globe for everything from playing a game in kilts, using a Dancing First Base Coach, the first ever baseball player to wear stilts, players backflipping while catching fly balls, and a whole lot more.

The Bananas play their own version of baseball called Banana Ball, a fast-paced, action-packed style of baseball with rules that include no bunting, a two-hour time limit, fans catching foul balls for outs, batters stealing first base, and a one-on-one tiebreaker showdown at the end of the game if it’s tied

The 2022 World Tour was turned into a 5-part documentary, Bananaland, that can be seen on ESPN+. The show will return for season two, Bananaland: The Road to Cooperstown, and premiere exclusively on the Savannah Bananas YouTube channel.

Savannah Bananas to Play at Louisville Slugger Field in 2024

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LOUISVILLE, KY – The Savannah Bananas tonight announced that their 2024 Banana Ball World Tour will dance through Louisville August 1-3 at Louisville Slugger Field. Tickets – sold exclusively by the Savannah Bananas – are not yet on sale, but fans may sign up for their ticket lottery. The Bananas

LOUISVILLE, KY – The Savannah Bananas tonight announced that their 2024 Banana Ball World Tour will dance through Louisville August 1-3 at Louisville Slugger Field. Tickets – sold exclusively by the Savannah Bananas – are not yet on sale, but fans may sign up for their ticket lottery .

The Bananas play their own version of baseball called Banana Ball , a fast-paced, action-packed style of baseball with rules that include no bunting, a two-hour time limit, fans catching foul balls for outs, batters stealing first base and a one-on-one showdown at the end of a game that is tied. The team will play their rivals, the Party Animals, at Louisville Slugger Field in the 3-game series. The head-to-head series isn’t one-sided and fans are guaranteed to be entertained and see a competitive game.

“We are excited to welcome the Savannah Bananas to Louisville this summer,” said Greg Galiette, Louisville Bats President. “Fans here in town will love the unique experience the Bananas are sure to bring to Louisville Slugger Field.”

Team rosters will be filled with the most entertaining and talented players in the world, including former MLB starts and celebrity guests. In 2023, former Major League starts like Jake Peavy, Hunter Pence, Johnny Damon, Josh Reddick and Barry Zito all joined the team during the tour.

When the Savannah Bananas are not on the road, the play their home games in front of a sold out, 4,000-person crowd at Grayson Stadium in Savannah, Georgia. Bananas games at Grayson Stadium have been sold out for eight straight years.

Tickets start at $35 and kids 3 and under get in free as long as they do not occupy a seat. Seating is general admission-style with no assigned seats. Concessions will be available for purchase and are not included in the price of the ticket.

For the complete schedule and opportunity for tickets, visit the Bananas’ website and join the Ticket Lottery List to get the opportunity to be drawn for a chance to purchase tickets ( note: joining the lottery list does not guarantee the chance to buy tickets ). The Lottery List closes on December 1, 2023.

Game times will be released at a later date. Bats Season Ticket Holders will have the exclusive opportunity to buy General Admission Club tickets with details to come at a later date. Visit BatsBaseball.com for more information on Bats Season Tickets.

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Newsletter signup, visitor guide, the savannah bananas announce 2024 banana ball world tour schedule.

The Savannah Bananas are bringing “The Greatest Show in Sports” (ESPN) to one million fans and six Major League Baseball stadiums across 29 cities and 20 states in 2024.

The tour begins with a return to George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa Bay on February 8 and a return visit to the Peoria Sports Complex the following weekend. The Bananas will celebrate the eighth anniversary of the Bananas team name by opening up Savannah games February 23, 24, and the official anniversary date of February 25. The Bananas will also return to Jacksonville, Fresno, Sacramento, Oklahoma City, Durham, Nashville, Indianapolis, and Des Moines in 2024.

The Bananas will play in their first Major League Baseball stadium on March 9 at Minute Maid Park in Houston. The Bananas will play at six MLB ballparks in total, with other stops being at Fenway Park in Boston, Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., Progressive Field in Cleveland, Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, and loanDepot Park in Miami.

“We continue to think big with Banana Ball and are thrilled to announce our most ambitious schedule yet,” said Bananas owner Jesse Cole.

“From playing in front of 500,000 fans in 2023 to now entertaining more than one million in 2024, we’re fired up to take this to the MLB level and visit some of the most beautiful and iconic ballparks, as well as watch the Party Animals become the headliner in four different cities. The 2024 Banana Ball World Tour will take our young sport to a higher level than ever before,” he continued.

The Party Animals will be taking over Historic Grayson Stadium again in 2024 hosting six games across two weekends. For the first time, they will be the headliners of a party-packed show in Las Vegas, Nevada, Greensboro, North Carolina, and Greenville, South Carolina.

This year’s tour wraps up at loanDepot Park in Miami on October 12, before 2,500 fans pack their bags and set sail on the first ever Bananas cruise - Bananaland at Sea – from October 14 through October 18. Fans will on board with their favorite Banana Ball characters, players, dancers, performers, and mascots.

“We’ve been building Banana Ball since 2018 and set some lofty goals and as incredible as it feels to have accomplished so many of them so quickly, we’re still just in our first inning,” said Bananas’ head coach Tyler Gillum. “2024 will be the next step on the ladder of creating the Greatest Show in Sports. We can’t wait to put on a better show than ever for the fans!”

New for the 2024 tour, will be the eleventh rule of Banana Ball, the Golden Batter Rule. With this rule, one time a game a team may send any batter in the lineup to hit it any spot.

“The goal of this rule is to have your best hitter be able to hit when the game is on the line," said Jesse Cole. “We believe this will make each game as competitive as it gets until the final out of the game.”

The Bananas will face off against their rival, the Party Animals, and the newest Banana Ball team, The Firefighters. All three team rosters will be filled with the most entertaining and talented players in the world, including former MLB stars and celebrity guests. In 2023, former Major League stars Jake Peavy, Hunter Pence, Johnny Damon, Josh Reddick, and Barry Zito all joined the team during the tour.

“I think this year showed people that we aren’t just here to entertain but that we can actually play at a very high level too,” Bananas’ infielder Jackson Olson said. “2023 was life changing for all of us but 2024 is about to be the biggest challenge yet and we’re all ready for it.”

When the Savannah Bananas are not on the road, they play their home games in front of a sold out, 4,000-person crowd at Grayson Stadium in Savannah, Georgia. Bananas games at Grayson Stadium have been sold out for eight straight years.

For the complete schedule and opportunity for tickets, visit www.thesavannahbananas.com/tickets and join the Ticket Lottery List to get the opportunity to be drawn in the lottery for a chance to purchase tickets.

About the Savannah Bananas

The Savannah Bananas are a baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia and play their home games at Historic Grayson Stadium, but they take the show on the road on their Banana Ball World Tour. The team has been featured on ESPN, Wall Street Journal, CNN, and Sports Illustrated and are made popular by their in-game entertainment and social media presence. The team has been known as TikTok’s favorite team with over 7.5 million followers, millions more than every MLB team. The Bananas have been featured across the globe for everything from playing a game in kilts, using a Dancing First Base Coach, the first ever baseball player to wear stilts, players backflipping while catching fly balls, and a whole lot more. The Bananas play their own version of baseball called Banana Ball, a fast-paced, action-packed style of baseball with rules that include no bunting, a two-hour time limit, fans catching foul balls for outs, batters stealing first base, and a one-on-one tiebreaker showdown at the end of the game if it’s tied The 2022 World Tour was turned into a 5-part documentary, Bananaland, that can be seen on ESPN+. The show will return for season two, Bananaland: The Road to Cooperstown, and premiere exclusively on the Savannah Bananas YouTube channel.

Photo credit: Oklahoma City Dodgers

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Savannah Bananas schedule 2024: Tickets, prices, roster and more to know for world tour

By Jordan Greer ,

The Savannah Bananas are back for another season of their wild, wacky brand of baseball.

This year's team will bring Banana Ball to several venues, including six MLB stadiums. The Bananas are set to play the largest game in Banana Ball history at Citizens Bank Park, which is the home of the Philadelphia Phillies.

When the Savannah Bananas take the field, you know that you will see a sporting event unlike any other. The unusual rules, fan interactions, choreographed dances — there is no need to question Banana Ball. Just embrace the madness.

@thesavbananas Opening day this week has the boys in a silly goofy mood 🤪💃 #savannahbananas #bananaball #baseballboys #springtraining #sillygoofymood ♬ original sound - thesavbananas

Here is everything you need to know about the 2024 Savannah Bananas world tour, including the full season schedule and latest information on tickets for home and road games.

BUY NOW: Get Savannah Bananas tickets on StubHub

Savannah Bananas tour schedule 2024

The Savannah Bananas will make stops in 26 cities this year. They will play their first road game of the season in Tampa, Fla., and their final game in Miami.

Most Savannah Bananas games will be played against the Party Animals. While the teams may share a similar dynamic to the Harlem Globetrotters vs. Washington Generals rivalry, the games are never scripted. The Bananas and Party Animals are both trying to win.

The celebrations and dances, however, are always planned before the games start. (Preparation is important, folks.)

@thesavbananas It’s almost Mariah Carey season, OHH, we meant Christmas season (kinda the same thing though?)🎄💁‍♀️🎤 #savannahbananas #bananaball #mariahcarey #christmasmusic #dancetok #dancetrend #holidayseason #dancemoms #baseballboys ♬ original sound - SXR♥︎

Savannah Bananas home games 2024

The Savannah Bananas will play at Grayson Stadium in Savannah, Ga., on the following dates:

• March 28-29
• Sept. 13-15
• Sept. 26-28

Savannah Bananas tickets 2024

Tickets for Savannah Bananas games are still available on StubHub, but they are selling quickly. You can check out all of the options for the 2024 season by clicking on the link below.

MORE: Details, ticket prices for Savannah Bananas games

Savannah Bananas roster 2024

Here is the Savannah Bananas' full roster for the 2024 season:

Banana Ball rules

Banana Ball has 11 rules that are designed to add more entertainment value to the game and eliminate long stretches without any action.

• Every inning is worth one point. The team that wins the inning gets the point for that inning. In the last inning of the game, every run counts.
• A new inning cannot be started after two hours of game time.
• A hitter cannot step out of the box. If a hitter does step out, a strike will be added to the count.
• A hitter is not allowed to bunt.
• A hitter is allowed to attempt to steal first base on any pitch of an at-bat.
• There are no walks. If a pitcher throws four balls, every defensive player on the field must touch the ball before it becomes live. A hitter can advance to as many bases as possible.
• Catchers and coaches are not allowed to visit the mound.
• If a fan catches a foul ball, the catch results in an out.
• If the game is tied at the end of the time limit, the Showdown Tiebreaker will decide which team wins the game.
• Each team is allowed to challenge one ruling on the field (fair/foul ball calls, force/tag play calls and catch play calls). Fans will also have the ability to challenge one ruling during the game.
• The Golden Batter Rule allows a team to send any hitter to bat in any spot in the lineup. It can only be used once per game.

(More details on the Showdown Tiebreaker, challenges and other rules can be found here .)

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Dancing, wild rules and Barry Zito's Nashville debut: Savannah Bananas a baseball phenomenon

Their sandals-with-socks-wearing, 76-year-old pitcher picked at a mandarin orange in the third-base dugout at First Horizon Park late Saturday afternoon.

A few feet to his left, their 10-foot-9 first baseman rested his metal legs against a cushioned bench, his obnoxiously oversized baseball glove settled on a shelf next to them.

Inside their clubhouse, a Cy Young Award-winning, three-time Major League Baseball All-Star pitcher prepared to make his Bananas debut — and for an on-field, midgame, solo concert.

Welcome to the world of the Savannah Bananas , a collection of baseball-playing, entertaining vagabonds who brought their show to Nashville last weekend for a pair of games against the Party Animals as part of their 94-game "Banana World Tour."

The architect behind baseball's version of the Harlem Globetrotters, the team's blinding-yellow-suit-wearing owner Jesse Cole, bandied about the dugout while his team's band rehearsed on the field and his players rehearsed for TikTok videos .

"I learned a lot from Walt Disney," Cole said. "He always put himself in the customer's shoes. He wanted to create a place in Disneyland that him and his daughters, adults and kids, could have fun together."

Cole grew up with an affinity for entertaining and a love for baseball. But he realized over time that he didn't love watching the game he loves. He said he spent most of the last 15 years experimenting with how to make the game more fun, more fan-centered. Now he finds himself the owner of a team that has more than 9 million followers on social media, a team that tours the country to sold-out crowds at every stop, a team that is fun.

That included this weekend, when the tour dropped into town for a pair of games at the home of the Nashville Sounds.

"How can we make it fun for anybody to come out, even if they don't love baseball?" Cole asked rhetorically.

The answer to that question has become clear to Cole in recent years, when he decided one Bananas team was better than two. Until last year, one Bananas team was part of the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate league, while the other team concentrated on Cole's "Banana Ball" brand.

So mid-game, choreographed dance routines, dancing umpires, an outfielder who makes catches mid-backflip, a man who wears a space helmet, all of that and more have been born. Players are recruited and paid for their work. Malachi Mitchell, who wears the space helmet and whose uniform bears a lightning bolt rather than a number, is the son of Olympic gold medalist sprinter Dennis Mitchell.

Not to mention the game's rules, which include two-hour time limits; no bunting or stepping out of the batter's box; the ability to steal first base; and outs for foul balls caught cleanly by fans.

'There's no red tape," Cole said.

From 'Space Ball' to 'Banana Ball'

Bill "Spaceman" Lee called himself "the first baby boomer on the planet Earth." He's 76 years old now, and a pitcher/mentor/coach for the Bananas.

"There's no expiration date on the bottom of your foot," Lee said.

He claims to not own a watch, a cellphone or a television. Said he regularly does yoga.

The outspoken Lee spent 14 seasons in the major leagues, winning 119 games with a 3.62 ERA for the Boston Red Sox and Montreal Expos. He's the author of four books, a member of the Red Sox Hall of Fame, a former six-year U.S. Army Reserve veteran and an eccentric who invented his own pitch called the "Space Ball," a version of the eephus pitch he concocted to make up for his lack of velocity.

In short, he was a Banana decades before the Bananas came to be.

Cole grew up in Boston a fan of the Red Sox and Lee. At the urging of his parents, Cole called Lee at his home in Vermont in February 2022 to gauge his interest in becoming a Banana. Lee said he'd never heard of the team, knew nothing of them. His response, though, was not a surprise.

"I said, 'I don't try out,'" said Lee, who said he still throws in the mid-70 mph range. "He says, 'Well, we all have to try out.' "

Lee asked Cole the object of being a Bananas pitcher. Cole responded by telling him getting three outs as quickly as possible.

"Two minutes and 4 seconds later I was on the ballclub," Lee said. "I've been here ever since."

The tall guy

Dakota "Stilts" Allbritton is "The World's Tallest Pitcher and Hitter." He's the kid from a tiny Georgia city called Ellaville, population: 1,553. He's the long-haired blond who has poured concrete for a living, built dog kennels, worked at paper mills and was a pipefitter.

Albritton tried out for the Bananas in 2021. He brought his stilts out of a 10-year retirement for the audition. Albritton said he began wearing stilts when he was 10 years old, just for fun.

"Jesse was like, 'Oh, wow,'" Albritton said of the team's owner. "He loved it."

Albritton said he's also an expert unicycle rider who's had more than one offer to join the circus, most recently during the Bananas' stop in Las Vegas.

"But I'm not a circus act," he said. "I'm a baseball player."

On Saturday night, Albritton stood on his stilts in the right-handed batter's box, his regulation-sized bat in hand, and smacked a sharp single into left field. The standing-room-only crowd grew loud in approval. Stilts stunting his speed, Albritton was thrown out at second base after a teammate singled to left field.

He then tip-toed his way to first base, that over-the-top-sized glove dangling from his left hand, and played a half-inning of defense.

Albritton first heard of the Bananas in 2019 when he was a senior in high school and his baseball team traveled to their home field, Grayson Stadium, to play for a state championship. Two years later his mom called him to say she'd signed him up for a tryout with the Bananas.

"Where I ended my baseball career is where I started up a whole different baseball career, on the same exact field," he said.

SHOW STOPPERS: Players hope they have what it takes to make Savannah Bananas Premier Team roster

THAT'S B-A-N-A-N-A-S: Savannah Bananas baseball coming to Nashville this weekend. What to know, including game rules

BIG SHOW: Savannah Bananas fold collegiate team, focus on taking Banana Ball nationwide

The big show

Barry Zito made a beeline from the pitcher's mound to the third-base dugout after throwing an inning in his Bananas debut Saturday.

The former Cy Young winner, World Series champion and three-time All-Star grabbed a guitar and proceeded to his next stage — the third-base coach's box. There he put on a one-man concert, strumming strings and singing his original song, "Ballpark Kids," as the Bananas batted in the top of the seventh inning.

This a night after former big-league pitcher Zach Duke pitched an inning for the Bananas.

Former big-league players are no stranger to wearing those bright yellow uniforms. World Series champions  Johnny Damon  and Jonny Gomes have played for the Bananas. Same for Cy Young winner Jake Peavy. Four-time All-Star Jonathan Papelbon pitched in two games while wearing a yellow kilt. Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench was a first-base coach.

"I believe the great ballplayers were entertainers way before, (like) Babe Ruth," Lee said.

Dalton Mauldin, a former player for Trevecca University who calls Nashville home, is a infielder for the Bananas. After Mauldin posted some videos of himself singing cover songs online, Cole reached out to him via social media and asked if he'd like to be part of the team.

Mauldin said he's gotten a kick out of playing with the Bananas and with and against some former major leaguers..

He recalled the Bananas recently playing an exhibition game against the Major League Baseball Players' Association Alumni team.

He recalled seeing some of the players lined up for the anthem before that game and pinching himself.

"It looked like a video game; it didn't even feel real," Mauldin said. "You read the back of their jerseys and it's all guys we played on video games."

'We're not scared to fail'

Per routine, the Bananas arrived at First Horizon around noon Saturday. They spent a good chunk of that time rehearsing the night's skits and some of that time rehearsing baseball.

Saturday's skits included a game of "Duck, duck, goose" on the mound to determine who would pitch to the next batter.

They've pulled off such stunts as having DR Meadows sprint from his position in center field, jumping over the pitcher's head, taking the ball and throwing a strike all in one motion. Later, Meadows caught a popup in foul territory, marking the first time in baseball a center fielder caught a flyball behind his own team's catcher.

"Pretty insane," Meadows said.

But things don't always go as planned in Bananaland. The game before that Meadows tried the same trick, only to throw a passed ball that allowed a runner to score and an inning to get ugly.

"We're not scared to fail," he said. "We always eventually get it right."

The team has a team of creative personnel that meets weekly to discuss new ideas. Cole, the owner, said he writes down 10 new ideas a day. There's a professional dancer on staff, Zack Frongillo, who serves as the team's director of entertainment.

The players, too, are heavily involved in the creative process.

"Jesse has a vision and wants to create fan-first moments everywhere around the field," Meadows said.

For instance, in their first game in Nashville on Friday, a Bananas pitcher was taken to the mound on a tractor. The team also introduced during the weekend a new rule called the "fan challenge," which allows fans to challenge close plays.

There also were sing-alongs, a pregame meet-and-greet with fans, the team's march through the stands during their stay in Nashville.

Make no mistake, though, the Bananas aren't just entertainers. They're talented baseball players who happen to know how to entertain, Cole said, adding that many of his pitchers can throw 90-plus.

"It's always the next thing, you know?" Cole said. "We do 15 new things every night. We're obsessed with challenging the way things have been done and having people come to the ballpark and see something they've never seen before."

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Savannah Bananas conclude world tour at Baseball Hall of Fame

Sep. 16—The Savannah Bananas' 2023 Banana Ball World Tour concluded Saturday when the team made a visit to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Doubleday Field in Cooperstown.

The exhibition barnstorming team — baseball's version of the Harlem Globetrotters — showed why they've become a sports phenomenon.

"You could never ever imagine what has happened this year," Owner Jesse Cole said of the conclusion of the tour. "To play 33 cities, coast to coast, sellout every single game. Over a half million fans, people coming from all over the world to see our games. It's special.

"These guys have worked hard, our staff has worked hard to put on a show every single night, do things that have never happened before on a baseball field. To finish here in Cooperstown is the perfect ending."

People were lined up all down Main Street Saturday morning in anticipation of getting the chance to see the Bananas.

"It's great," Ted Simmons, a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2020 said. "They've brought in everybody from little league to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and everything in between in one place for one reason."

Lee Smith, Class of 2019, was also in attendance and began the ninth inning on the mound for the Bananas.

"I'm excited to see them up close and personal for the first time," Simmons said prior to the game. "This phenomenon that everybody all over the country is talking about. This is incredible, particularly in Cooperstown. I've been to some of the annual baseball games they hold here with former Major League Baseball players but they don't fill it like this place is going to be. This is standing room only."

Many of the Bananas' players have never been to Cooperstown and were enjoying the opportunity to do so.

"I have never been to Cooperstown," pitcher Kyle Luigs said. "I think it's kind of like a bucket list thing. When you're 10-12 years old this is the place you want to play.

"I was not fortunate enough to get that opportunity but I think it's very cool and fitting to end the crazy eight-month stretch that we've been on all over the country to wrap up what all that craziness has been in Cooperstown, where baseball is life. It's definitely a cool town to be in and I'm very excited to be here."

"I was in college last year. I never thought I'd be playing in Cooperstown and going to the Hall of Fame, so that's pretty sweet," pitcher Jared Donalson added.

The Hall of Fame added an exhibit dedicated to the Bananas, which the team got a chance to see Friday.

"It's an unbelievable exhibit," Cole said. "It's really special. To celebrate the game of Banana Ball, what's happened, with literally the idea books where I write ideas everyday, sharing the rules of what this game could be back in 2018 and showing the first banana ball thrown, first banana ball caught by a fan and our jerseys. It's special. It means a lot."

"Just seeing it and being there for the first time and seeing my face up there, it's pretty unreal," pitcher Nolan Daniel said.

"Surreal moment; it's awesome to be a part of this," pitcher DJ "The Invader" added. "Being in the Hall of Fame is an awesome moment for Jesse, for me and this entire organization."

"First time at the Hall of Fame and you're getting inducted into it, that's really special," Luigs said. "Being here since 2018, we've known every year that we were doing something special, didn't really quite know what that was or how far it would take us."

The fans in a packed Doubleday Field were treated to pregame festivities, constant engagement from the players and music throughout the entire afternoon, as well as trick plays and unique rules once the game began.

As has become their trademark, the Bananas made things happen on a baseball field that you wouldn't see anywhere else.

Some examples were a player pinch-hitting on stilts, a catch made while mid-backflip, a pitcher in a astronaut helmet, shirtless home run trots and a dancing umpire among others.

The players' walk-up music also lasted throughout their at-bats while teammates danced with the fans.

It's a rule in Banana Ball that the game can't exceed two hours, keeping the game fast and action-packed. For every inning each team wins, they get a point.

The opposing Party Animals scored four runs in each of the second and third innings, while the Bananas scored once in the third, giving the Party Animals a 2-0 lead.

The Bananas scored once to win the seventh inning, cutting it to 2-1, which held through the eighth.

In the ninth inning every run counts, and the Bananas put up a zero in the top half, thanks in part to Smith's guest appearance.

They were unable to scratch a run across in the bottom half, giving the Party Animals a 2-1 win in the final game of the tour.

While the Bananas' world tour came to an end, those involved feel that the team's journey is just getting started.

"I truly do believe, like [Cole] says, we're in the first inning," Luigs said. "We're really just getting started with this thing. We're just starting to get a lot of national attention with social media playing a big role, but it's really cool to see the places that it's taken us so far."

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Redefining baseball: who are the savannah bananas, by edcel panganiban june 12, 2024 03:13.

The Harlem Globetrotters of Baseball, otherwise known as the Savannah Bananas, have taken over the baseball world like no one else ever had before and have changed the way the game is consumed and their massive fans are evidence of that.

Here, we take a deep dive into a captivating introduction to world of the Savannah Bananas by looking into their history, how they run and operate, how they recruit players, the format of their games, and the response they get from the fans.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Savannah Bananas (@thesavbananas)

A Brief History

And it all started February 25, 2016, when the team was named, the Savannah Bananas.

The team, which adopted a rather unique philosophy when it came to playing baseball, started to become a top news story across the country and was soon featured in the likes of CBS, NBC, and Sports Illustrated.

While there was some initial skepticism, the results were unparalleled-200 games played, 200 games sold out for a brand-new, cutting-edge product.

The history of the Bananas is certainly remarkable, as they have made not just winning games but also creating an atmosphere centered around joy and creativity their calling card.

The Bananas play at historic Grayson Stadium in Savannah, the site of all 6 collegiate baseball games in 2020, and have used "Banana Ball" to create a 9-inning game with a 2-hour limit, making the fan the most important player in the game.

Formulated with rules and scoring changes to pick up the pace of play, the Bananas have truly set a new standard in baseball, both on choreographed player dances, outlandish walk-ups, and massive scoring celebrations.

Their games are not only sporting events but extravaganzas that marry athleticism with show business, somewhere between a Broadway show, the WWE, and the Harlem Globetrotters.

Player Recruitment and Roster

The Savannah Bananas, unlike typical baseball teams, recruit players from across the board, including former MLB stars, and pay them for their services.

The team has managed to corral its fair share of great talent, with former MLB players Jonny Gomes, Bill Lee, and Josh Reddick all stepping onto the field in Banana Yellow to provide a well-rounded roster that feeds into their whole brand of fun and inclusion.

The "Banana Ball" World Tour

The Bananas have made a year-long, 33-city "Banana Ball" World Tour across America, switching to a barnstorming model full-time.

This strategy has made their games the hottest ticket in the US - virtually untouchable at the original price, insane resale prices.

Their games are about so much more than baseball-and the action on the field which is enjoyed in an immersive experience set against the backdrop of pregame and postgame parties and a boisterous community of fans enjoying the game from the bleachers to the bases to the dancing base coaches.

Leading in the Sale of Tickets and Fan Interaction

Some teams come close, but when it comes to ticket sales, no one can touch the Bananas.

Their game day experience is much more than the game, featuring all-inclusive concessions, a rowdy fan wall, and a focus on making the game a lasting memory for all who enter "Bananaland" at the Historic Grayson Stadium.

They have a senior dance team and a youth dance team, they honor the "Banana Baby" at all of their games, etc. Their commitment to fan engagement is strong.

So in conclusion, not only are the Savannah Bananas changing this sport - but we are dominating this sport while also meeting people where they are.

Offering a handful of athleticism, entertainment, and community engagement, the Bananas have made a place for themselves in the sports world with one of the unique experiences in baseball.

The Savannah Bananas have advanced their way to the top, and they are now a sports entity to be reckoned with, as they take their show on the road and sell out stadiums across the country.

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Fenway Park goes bananas as Savannah Bananas bring ‘world tour’ to Boston

T he Savannah Bananas sold out Fenway Park on Saturday night as the team brought its “ Banana Ball World Tour ” to Boston, attracting thousands of fans dressed in bright yellow and ready for a fun-filled game.

About 37,000 fans filled the stands to see the Bananas face off against their longtime rival, the Party Animals. The Bananas, an exhibition team known for their fan-focused brand of flashy and often comic baseball, have sold out every game since their first season in 2015.

Adding to any Red Sox fan’s excitement, former Sox players Jonathan Papelbon, Mitch “2-bags” Moreland, Jonny Gomes, and Bill “Spaceman” Lee played for the Bananas at the Boston game.

Despite their efforts, the Party Animals beat the Bananas 4-1. But for both teams, the game was filled with song, dance, and celebration — classic staples of “Banana Ball.”

Before the game, the Bananas greeted fans under the grandstands with high fives. Fans were kept excited throughout the game, catching doughnuts tossed into the stands and chanting along with “The Dad Bod Cheerleading Squad.”

Some players stepped up to the plate wearing kilts, an essential part of the Bananas’ uniform. One Banana, known as Dakota “Stilts” Albritton, towered over the others on stilts during the game.

Meanwhile, the Party Animals put on a show of their own. While a clip from the movie “Legally Blonde” played on the big screens, the team performed the iconic “bend and snap” move from the 2001 romantic comedy set at Harvard Law School.

After sunset, the field was illuminated with cellphone flashlights while the crowd sang “Yellow” by Coldplay. One fan called the Fenway Park game “truly electric” in a social media post .

The next stop on the Bananas’ tour is Nashville.

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June 7, 2024 1:09 PM

• Benjamin Payne

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LISTEN: “Banana Ball” is coming to “Beantown,” with the sold-out matchup livestreamed and starting 7 p.m. GPB's Benjamin Payne reports.

Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling delivers a pitch at Fenway Park in 2006. The Savannah Bananas deliver their unique brand of baseball at the famed park on Saturday, June 8, 2024. Credit: Creative Commons / David Salafia

Move over, Red Sox: the Savannah Bananas are taking over Fenway Park.

For one night only, that is.

MLB's oldest ballpark will play host to baseball's newest craze on Saturday night, when the barnstorming Bananas showcase their signature brand of no-holds-barred baseball before a sellout crowd of some 37,000 fans.

No, the Bananas won't be taking on the nine-time World Series champion Boston Red Sox.

That wouldn't be fair to the Red Sox.

After all, it was the Bananas who bested Boston legend Johnny Damon and a roster of other retired Major Leaguers last year.

Instead, the Bananas will take on the Party Animals — Savannah's in-house archrivals who, although fielded by the Bananas organization, are in it to win it.

As evident by the Party Animals' 18-26 record so far this season, Banana Ball — as the sport is officially called — can be an unforgiving game. Step outside the batter's box? Strike! Hit a foul ball into the stands and it gets caught by a fan? You're out!

And don't even think about laying down a bunt: Doing so will get you ejected. (Why? As Bananas owner Jesse Cole explained , “Because bunting sucks.”)

But Banana Ball also breeds an undeniably electric atmosphere, owing to its lightning-fast pace , meticulously choreographed dance routines , and spellbinding trick plays that make MLB Golden Glover highlight reels look like child's play.

“The demand is through the roof,” Cole told GPB ahead of the 2024 season, which has seen every game sell out — including the team's MLB ballpark debut at the 41,000-seat Minute Maid Park in Houston. “We added a half million more tickets this year [than last season], by going to Major League stadiums and bigger venues. It's unlike anything I've ever seen before.”

The Bananas' game at Fenway Park will be streamed live on the team's YouTube channel, with pregame coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. and first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m.

It's not just fans who are looking forward to it: So too is 2007 Cy Young Award winner and Red Sox alum Jake Peavy, who served as a commentator during the Bananas' 2024 schedule announcement show.

“It is gonna be a match made in heaven, when you talk about Red Sox nation at Fenway Park meeting Banana Nation,” he said shortly after the Boston date was revealed. “I cannot wait.”

Secondary Content

About the author.

Benjamin is the Savannah-based reporter for GPB, where he covers Coastal Georgia.

Prior to coming to Savannah, he freelanced in Bellingham, Washington, for public media outlets including NPR, Marketplace , and PRX. Previously, Benjamin hosted Morning Edition for WVIK, his hometown NPR member station in Rock Island, Ill. Before that, he served a news internship with NPR member station WBEZ in Chicago.

Benjamin is a graduate of the University of Nevada-Reno's journalism master's program, and earned his undergraduate degree in journalism from Augustana College in Rock Island.

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Peavy pitched at Rickwood Field? At 40?? For who???

Betelhem Ashame

Over the course of its 100-plus-year history, Rickwood Field has seen a lot.

Once the home of the Minor Leagues’ Birmingham Barons and the Negro Leagues’ Birmingham Black Barons , the oldest ballpark in the country has also hosted college football games, high school and college baseball games, and has even been the site of several major motion pictures .

But until April 16, 2022, Rickwood hadn’t seen anything like this.

• Giants-Cardinals at Rickwood Field, June 20

The Savannah Bananas, the exhibition team turned viral sensation for their unique brand of baseball, made a stop in Birmingham, Ala., on their five-city “world tour,” playing in front of a sold-out crowd of more than 10,000 fans. It was the largest crowd the Bananas, who regularly sell out their 4,000-seat capacity Grayson Stadium in Savannah, Ga., had attracted up to that point.

Hey Baby just hits different in a sold-out Rickwood Field 😍 pic.twitter.com/Tn5SDuELGv — Savannah Bananas (@TheSavBananas) April 16, 2022

Jake Peavy -- two-time World Series champion, three-time All-Star and National League Cy Young Award winner -- made an appearance for the Bananas, pitching an inning of relief at the age of 40. The Mobile, Ala., native didn’t bust a move or show off his vocals, but he did join in on the fun by whipping out his 2012 American League Gold Glove and using it on the mound.

“What a wonderful night that transpired,” said Peavy in a recent phone interview. “To see that place jammed full, I mean completely sold out to the point where you couldn’t get another ticket, with energy in it like there was back in the heyday of when the Black Barons were rolling. You hear these stories of, ‘We were running from church to that ballpark to get a good seat. We might be leaving early to try to get a good seat.’

• Black Barons games at Rickwood Field were more than social events

“So, it felt like that again. The Bananas bring amazing energy and big energy and some of the playfulness that I know the Negro Leagues had involved in the sport. … It’s hallowed ground, and I got to go there and stand where my heroes stood and dig in the dirt and just feel their presence and just try to reverence that.”

Satchel Paige, a fellow Mobile native, was one of those heroes. The Hall of Fame pitcher who began his professional baseball career with the Black Barons at the age of 20, Paige went 36-17 with a 2.93 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP in 491 innings from 1927-30.

“Through the Negro Leagues, I don’t know if we had a more decorated or more fun player to watch than Satchel Paige,” Peavy said. “He came right up through that field. That was his home mound. What I consider to be one of the best pitchers, if not the greatest pitcher of all time, did his thing right there.

“It was as surreal as it could possibly be. … When you do something that a great did before you that you have such reverence for and you get to stand in the same place, it’s like you have this small connection with that person.”

It’s why Peavy was open to suiting up again after his 15-year MLB career came to an end in 2016. Peavy had become friends with Bananas owner Jesse Cole and convinced him to stage their one-city “world tour” at Hank Aaron Stadium in Mobile, where they played their first two games outside of Savannah in March 2021 in front of a combined crowd of 7,000 fans (with seating capped in accordance with pandemic-era social distancing protocols). The ballpark, which is named after another Mobile native and MLB great and is located just off Satchel Paige Drive, has been vacant since its Double-A team relocated after the 2019 season and is facing the possibility of being torn down.

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Peavy credited the Friends of Rickwood for ensuring that Rickwood Field isn’t in a similar position. Since 1992, the nonprofit organization has cared for the park, which is owned by the city of Birmingham, working to preserve its history and restore it to its former glory. Due to those efforts, the Bananas -- who have this year played in front of sold-out crowds at MLB stadiums like Houston’s Minute Maid Park and Boston’s Fenway Park -- held the finale of their 2022 tour at Rickwood. And Peavy was able to live out a long-held dream.

“Man, what a job done by the people of Birmingham in and around the Friends of Rickwood to preserve this crown jewel so we can even get to have this experience and tell its story,” he said.

The next chapter of that story will be written this week, when the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals play in the MLB at Rickwood Field: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues game Thursday night. Peavy, who won the World Series with the Giants in 2014, will be there watching, knowing firsthand the value the experience will hold for them.

• Birmingham schools get surprise visit from Wood Jr., Peavy and more

“I don’t think that I have to tell any of them what this means or what to expect,” he said. “As we’ve gotten closer and closer, these two teams, they have some old-school people around them that are making sure everybody reverences and understands where we’re going and what we’re doing.

“It’s a feeling. When you step on the grounds, you can channel that feeling of, ‘Hey, some cool stuff happened here, and there are some ghosts hanging out.’ There aren’t a whole lot of man-made things that make us feel like that in the world. So I think when these boys get there and get to step on that…”

They’ll feel what he did that April night in Birmingham.

Photos: Banana ball invades Fenway Park

The savannah bananas brought their world tour to a sold-out fenway park saturday to play their perennial opponent, the party animals. since their first season in 2015, the bananas have sold out every game..

The Savannah Bananas are shipping out to Boston for a sold-out game at Fenway Park

If you’ve ever been to a Savannah Bananas game, then you have certainly heard the unmistakable drop of the bass piano followed by the pluck of the banjo strings from the Dropkick Murphys' biggest hit, “Shipping Out to Boston.”  The catchy instrumental riff repeats throughout the player introductions before the start of each game.

Well, this week, the Savannah Bananas are actually shipping out to Boston with nearly 250 people and four semi-trucks loaded with all of the merchandise, production equipment, inflatables, and everything needed to put on one of the organization's biggest shows of the season Saturday at historic Fenway Park .

While the Bananas have performed this season for crowds ranging in size from 5,000 at Historic Grayson Stadium in Savanah to 41,000 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, for many, including team owner Jesse Cole, the 37,000 at Fenway may be the most meaningful.

Cole grew up just south of Boston and was able to go to a lot of Red Sox games as a kid. “I was an honorary batboy when I was 5 years old. So, it's been in my blood. I've seen countless games at Fenway Park and I always dreamed of playing for the Red Sox.”

Although Jesse has had some on-the-field experience at Fenway pitching in an all-star game when he was 20 years old, this weekend will be next-level entertainment for the man in the yellow tux. The Savannah Bananas have transformed from a Savannah team selling a handful of tickets to a worldwide sensation selling out major league ballparks and putting Banana Ball in front of over a million fans this year. More than 200,000 fans signed up just for the chance to purchase tickets at Fenway.

“It's certainly an adjustment, but, we've had so much experience over the last two years,” said Cole. “We played in a 41,000-seat stadium, sold-out Houston Minute Maid Park back in March. So, we had the experience there. So, it's a bigger show. We think about how do we impact 41,000. But, what was crazy was after the first game in Houston, Roy Oswalt came off the mound ― an all-star pitcher for the Astros ― and said it was louder than any World Series game he’s been a part of. So, to hear that from a major league star, see how loud the experience was. The 41,000. It sounds like we've been able to translate our intimate show to a much larger show.”

As game day draws closer Jesse and the crew are working hard to make sure everything is perfect. Rehearsals will take place right up until showtime on Saturday to assure they can showcase the game in the best way possible. The festivities will begin at 2 p.m. with a pre-party and pre-plaza show, before the 7 p.m. game time, giving fans plenty of time to soak up all they can of “Banana Land.”

“Fenway Park is the mecca. It is the most well-known baseball stadium in the world. And for us to get to play it and sell it out is something I never would have imagined,” said Cole. “Just because of the history of the ballpark and what's happened there and the memories and the moments and ones that I've gone through and experienced, now for us to create our own memory and moment in front of a sold-out crowd is pretty special.”

Richard Burkhart is the visual journalist for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at [email protected].