Banana Ball
I have to admit - I was hesitant to check out the world famous Savannah Bananas during their World Tour, which brought them to my hometown of Columbus, Ohio. I’ve joked about “baseball purists” in other 408 articles, and I guess when it came to watching the Bananas play, you could throw me in that category. I had many questions, and most importantly, I didn’t want to see my favorite sport’s play be diminished.
That hesitation went away as soon as we entered the stadium - And especially when I saw the player on stilts.
From 1984 to 2015, Savannah Georgia was home to a South Atlantic League, A-Ball team. Starting in its inaugural year, the team was the Savannah Cardinals, due to their affiliation with the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1996, the team became the Sand Gnats, and was affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers (‘96-’97), the Texas Rangers (‘98-’02), the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals (‘03-’06), and the New York Mets (‘07-’15).
The organization relocated to Columbia, South Carolina after the 2015 season where they became the Columbia Fireflies, an affiliate of the Kansas City Royals since 2021.
After the Sand Gnats left, Savannah was without a minor league baseball team for the first time in nearly 90 years. Residents wouldn’t have to wait long for America’s Pastime to return to their great city.
Jesse Cole, and his wife Emily, who are investors in Fans First Entertainment, took over baseball operations as owners in Savannah in 2016. With all that goes into owning a professional sports team, no matter the level, at one point they over-drafted on their bank account in January 2016. The couple was forced to sell their home to keep their dream alive.
The Savannah Bananas became official February 25, 2016, as they joined the Costal Plain League (CPL), which is a summer collegiate league. The Cole’s investment paid off, as they were able to field a team to play in historic Grayson Stadium and since that first season, they’ve sold out every home game.
During their seven seasons in the CPL, the Bananas won three Petit Cup Championships, and saw 35 players drafted to Major League Baseball (MLB).
Outfielder Jameson Hannah was drafted 50th overall by the Oakland Athletics in the 2016 MLB Draft. Hannah played for Savannah in their inaugural season in the CPL, and is still their highest draft pick to date. (Photo: Savannah Bananas)
All good things must come to an end, and Savannah’s management made an organizational decision to leave the CPL in 2022. After much success, many wondered what would be next for the team with the unique name.
The organization shifted its focus to a different style of baseball, one that would be entertaining and unique. Operating on their own in 2022, the team began playing the now world famous Banana Ball.
One of the things I wondered before I saw the Bananas play was “Do they actually play baseball or is it just a pick up game?” I had no idea what Banana Ball was.
According to the Bananas:
“Banana Ball has become the fastest and most entertaining game in sports. With its face-paced rules and emphasis on continuous play, Banana Ball strips away the often criticized lulls and lengthy pauses typical of traditional baseball, delivering a high-octane and entertainment-packed game that keeps both players and fans on their toes.”
The game has 11 unique rules, which are explained to fans before every game:
Win the Inning, get the Point: Each inning is worth one point - The team that scores the most runs in an inning gets a point, except for the last inning, where every run counts.
Two-Hour Time Limit: No new inning can be started after two hours.
No “Stepping Out”: If a batter steps out of the batter’s box, it’s a strike.
No Bunting: As it was mentioned at the game, and even on their website - Bunting sucks. If a hitter bunts, they’re ejected from the game.
Batters can “Steal First”: On any pitch of an at-bat, the hitter can steal first base. This happens on a passed ball, wild pitch, or any time the hitter chooses.
No Walks Allowed: On “ball four” the hitter takes off running while every defensive player (except the pitcher) on the field must touch the ball before it becomes live. The hitter can advance as many bases as they want.
When a ball four would occur, the outfielders would sprint to the edge of the infield as the catcher would throw the ball to the second baseman, who would throw it to the third baseman, who would throw it to the first baseman, who would throw it to the shortstop, who would throw it to the right fielder, who would throw it to the left fielder, and it would end with the center fielder touching it last. Most runners only advanced to second base.
No Mound Visits Allowed: Pretty straightforward - Especially with the two-hour time limit.
If a Fan Catches a Foul Ball, It’s An Out: A great way to keep fans in the game! The Bananas encourage their fans to only catch foul balls when their opponent is up to bat.
Showdown Tie Breaker: If the game is tied at the end of the two-hour time limit, the game will go to this winner-take-all event. In each showdown, the hitter must score, and if they do, it’s worth one point. If they get out, they’re awarded no points. A maximum of three showdowns take place and the team that scores the most points (weird to say that in baseball) wins the game.
Round 1: Pitcher, catcher, and one fielder vs one hitter
Round 2: Pitcher and catcher vs one hitter
Round 3: Pitcher, catcher, and one fielder vs. one hitter with bases loaded
If a home run is hit over the outfield wall, its a walkoff win (no matter who is up to bat) and the team who hit the homer wins
Banana Ball Challenge Rule: Each team is allowed to challenge one ruling on the field. Each coach has a prop they must throw/shoot on the field before the next pitch for the play to be challenge. If a team wins the challenge, they retain it. If a team loses a challenge, it’s gone forever. Challenges can only before for fair/foul balls, force/tag plays, and catch plays in the outfield or infield.
Fan Challenge Rule: Prior to the game, two fans are chosen for the Bananas and their opponents to challenge one play per game. The fan shoots a confetti cannon onto the field and informs the umpire of their challenge. We saw one of these on a fair/foul call - The call was foul and was later overturned for the Bananas.
The “Golden Batter” Rule: One time a game, a team may send any hitter in the lineup to bat in any spot. This encourages the better to hit in important spots during the game. The batter that was hit for doesn’t need to come out of the game if they are hit for.
The rules were fun to watch during the game, especially when a player would walk. With each defensive player having to touch the ball before the “walk” was over, a bad throw could see a player advance to third and potentially score. There were no “steals of first” in our game, and unfortunately we didn’t see any fans catch a foul ball for an out either.
The fun doesn’t stop there, as other in-game antics were present from the first pitch to the final out. At each game, “expect the unexpected” is all I’ll say when it comes to entertainment. Anything can happen.
Music is an engrained part of any baseball game, and the Bananas take it to the next level. Not only does every player have their own walkup song, that said song plays throughout their entire at-bat. To keep the fans engaged, popular (and random) songs were played and you could hear fans and players signing along together. The randomness of those songs made me laugh, which included the Saved by the Bell theme song, Pepto Bismol’s recent song (“nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach diarrhea!”), and Burger King’s Whopper commercial theme song at the game we attended.
There was plenty of other music played, including Morgan Wallen, lots of Mariah Carey, and an overabundance of Taylor Swift. There’s also a 3-2-2 dance which happens every game in the 3rd inning, 2nd batter, on the 2nd pitch. The choreographed dance involved both teams, and brought fans to their feet to dance along.
Everyone is there to see the Bananas, but there are plenty of other cast and characters that made the experience enjoyable.
Owner Jesse Cole was front-and-center during many middle innings - He couldn’t be missed as he was wearing a yellow tuxedo and tophat (reminded me of Charlie from “It’s always Sunny in Philadelphia” portraying ‘Dayman’). The Bananas also have three traveling cheer squads to keep fans laughing and enjoying their experience, as well. They have the “Banana Nana’s, which is a senior citizen dance team; The “Man-Nana’s”, who were at our game, which are the Dad Bod cheerleading squad, and the Banana Splitz, which are a youth dance team.
It doesn’t stop there.
The home plate umpire serves as the Dancing Umpire who busts a move in between pitches - He breaks it down on strikeout calls, as well. The twerking umpire wasn’t the only dancer on the field as Savannah’s first base coach danced the whole game - literally. He never bothered to stop even when sending a runner to second or pointing out where a fly ball was in the outfield.
Finally, after the National Anthem is sung, one final Bananas tradition has to take place - and it involves a baby.
One lucky baby serves as the “Banana Baby” of the game, in which they are dressed in a banana costume, and the Banana baseball team surrounds them an mimics the opening scene to The Lion King.
The baseball is just as entertaining, and as mentioned, there is an actual game - one in which the players try - that takes place.
Banana’s players are recruited, try out, and are paid for their play. 24 players make up the evergreen roster. Many, if not all of the Banana’s have some former professional experience, whether it be MLB or independent baseball, the talent was evident top-to-bottom. It’s hard to hit a home run and throw a ball 90+ mph, something the “Kings of Potassium” did during the game.
Think of the Banana’s as a baseball family, as they also field (and pay) two other teams to play Banana Ball.
The Party Animals, who we saw take on the Bananas, were just as entertaining as their counterparts with their entertainment appeal as well as their baseball talent. From time to time, the Banana’s also take on The Firefighters, whose uniforms are just as loud as their Banana ball counterparts.
With many of their players being unknown to the common fan, the Banana’s have had several former MLB players join them in several games during their existence.
Players such as Eric Byrnes, Johnny Damon, Eric Gagne, Jonathan Papelbon, Hunter Pence, and Josh Reddick have all suited up for everyone’s favorite potassium themed baseball club. These former players were entertaining to watch, both on an off the field, during their careers. They were perfect selections for the Banana’s.
Former MLB player Eric Byrnes (Right), during a skit that appeared on the Banana’s website prior to his appearance with the team in 2022. (Photo: Savannah Bananas)
“It brings the pure joy and love back into the game,” said Byrnes in a 2022 article in the Savannah Morning News.
“The atmosphere, the people, I’m just incredibly grateful to be a part of it,” Byrnes added.
Banana Ball has become a worldwide phenomenon. I overheard someone ask at the game we attend, “Now are they only playing in Minor League stadiums?” With the demand for tickets, the Banana’s have expanded to many MLB stadiums across the country during their 2024 World Tour.
Those stadiums include sold out games at Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros, Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, and Nationals Park, home of the Washington Nationals. Home games at Grayson Stadium are sprinkled in throughout their tour, and don’t be surprised to see the Banana’s expand to other MLB stadiums in the future.
With more than 550,000+ fans across 33 cities who have witnessed Banana Ball, the hype and fun surrounding the team and product is real. More than 1 million people are on ticket waitlists, and expect that number to grow.
From a fan recently catching a foul ball to end the game and secure a win for the Banana’s, to former *NSYNC member Chris Kirpatrick doing an in-game performance with the team, look for Banana Ball to continue to evolve and be entertaining.
This unique form of America’s Pastime is good for the game. From having a home stadium that is inclusive with all-you-can eat food and being completely ad-free across the park, to founding “Banana’s Foster,” a nonprofit dedicated to focusing on supporting foster families and recognizing one at each game, and for taking a true risk to amplify baseball in a different approach - The Savannah Banana’s experience is awesome.
They’ve got a new fan in me, and if you get to experience them, I’m sure you’ll become one too.
