The Savannah Bananas and their “World Famous Baseball Circus” will return to Sutter Health Park for the second year in a row, with three opportunities to see Banana Ball in person from May 9-11, 2024.
The Savannah Bananas and their “Banana Ball” baseball style have been labelled “The Greatest Show in Sports” by ESPN, and is characterised as the “fastest and most entertaining game of baseball.”
Following a successful seven-city tour in 2022, Banana Ball blossomed into a sold-out 87-game tour that covered 33 cities across 21 states in 2023, playing their unique style of baseball in front of nearly 500,000 people. The Bananas are now trying to take it up a level in 2024.
“I think [last] year showed people that we aren’t just here to entertain, but that we can also play at a high level,” Bananas infielder Jackson Olson said. “[The year] 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.”
Last year’s Sacramento edition saw Bay Area Baseball superstars Hunter Pence, Josh Reddick, and Eric Byrnes hit the field once again. Pence rode his famed scooter from the outfield gate to home plate and hit a single, as Reddick and Pence did popular TikTok dances in the outfield between pitches.
Last year, Sutter Health Park was one of the 33 locations, and Sacramento fans in attendance saw firsthand the action that has made the Bananas “TikTok’s favourite team,” with over 7.5 million followers. The Bananas have gained over 10 million followers and 200 million likes across all of their social media channels, led by owner Jesse Cole, who wears his iconic yellow suit to every location.
The Bananas, together with a large ensemble of characters, dancers, singers, mascots, and musicians, are bringing their unique spin on baseball to Sutter Health Park. Banana Ball is a fast-paced, action-packed type of baseball with regulations such as no bunting, a two-hour time restriction, spectators catching foul balls for outs, hitters stealing first base, and a one-on-one tiebreaker battle if the score is tied at the conclusion of the game. Previous Banana Ball games may be seen on ESPN+ and the Bananas’ YouTube website.
With players performing new choreographed dances every game, epic hitter walk-ups to the plate, crazy scoring celebrations, the world’s only Dancing Umpire and Breakdancing First Base Coach, the Banana Nanas Dance Team, the first ever baseball player to wear stilts, and so much more, there is no shortage of surprises or entertainment in-game.
The Bananas will square up against the Party Animals. All team lineups will include the world’s most entertaining and skilled players, including former MLB stars and celebrity visitors. During the tour in 2023, former Major League players Jake Peavy, Hunter Pence, Johnny Damon, Josh Reddick, and Barry Zito all joined the squad.
Bananaland, a 5-part documentary on Banana Ball’s 2022 World Tour, is available on ESPN+. Season two, Bananaland: The Road to Cooperstown, will air exclusively on the Savannah Bananas YouTube channel. The squad has been covered on ESPN, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, and Sports Illustrated, and their in-game entertainment and social media presence have helped them gain popularity.
The Bananas, based in Savannah, Ga., play their home games in front of a sold-out, 4,000-person audience at Grayson Stadium, which bills itself as the country’s first and only ad-free stadium. Grayson Stadium has sold out seven consecutive years, and the priority list for tickets in Savannah alone has surpassed 80,000.
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