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West Sacramento Sun

Savannah Banana Ball to Host Three Games

Nov 21, 2023 02:01PM ● By Sacramento River Cats News Release

The Bananas will be exhibiting their own style of baseball at Sutter Health Park in 2024. Photo courtesy of Savannah Bananas


WEST SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - For the second consecutive year the Savannah Bananas and their “World Famous Baseball Circus” will make a stop at Sutter Health Park, where there will be three chances to catch Banana Ball in person from May 9-11, 2024.

The Savannah Bananas and their style of baseball dubbed “Banana Ball” has been referred to by ESPN as “The Greatest Show in Sports,” and is billed as the “fastest and most entertaining game of baseball.”

After a successful seven-city tour in 2022, Banana Ball exploded into a sold out 87-game excursion that spanned a total of 33 cities across 21 states, playing their unique brand of baseball in front of over 500,000 fans during 2023. Now, the Bananas are looking to kick it up another notch in 2024.

Savannah Bananas

The first base coach shows off some dancing moves. Photo courtesy of Savannah Bananas


“I think [last] year showed people that we aren’t just here to entertain, but that we can actually play at a very high level too,” said Bananas’ infielder Jackson Olson. “[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.”

In last year’s Sacramento edition fans got the chance to see Bay Area Baseball legends Hunter Pence, Josh Reddick, and Eric Byrnes take the field once again. Included in the action was Pence riding his famous scooter from the outfield gate to home plate and hitting a single, while Pence and Reddick performed popular TikTok dances in the outfield between pitches.

Sutter Health Park was included among the 33 stops last year, and Sacramento fans in attendance saw firsthand the action that has turned the Bananas into “TikTok’s favorite team” where they have over 7.5 million followers. Led by owner Jesse Cole, who wears his signature yellow suit to every location, the Bananas have amassed over 10 million followers and 200 million likes across all their social media platforms.

Along with an expansive cast of characters, dancers, performers, mascots, and musicians, the Bananas are returning their own twist of baseball to Sutter Health Park. Banana Ball is 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 the score is tied. You can watch previous Banana Ball games on ESPN+ and the Bananas’ YouTube page.

Savannah Bananas

The Savannah Bananas will be returning to the region for their Banana Ball next year on May 9-11. Photo courtesy of Savannah Bananas


There is no shortage of surprises or entertainment in-game with players performing new choreographed dances every single 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.

The Bananas will face off against their rival, the Party Animals. All 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.

Banana Ball’s 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. 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.

Based in Savannah, Ga., the Bananas play their home games in front of a sold out, 4,000-person crowd at Grayson Stadium, a location that is billed as the first and only ad-free stadium in the country. Games hosted at Grayson Stadium have sold out for seven straight years, while the priority list for tickets has reached 80,000 in Savannah alone.

For the complete schedule and opportunity for tickets, visit http://www.thesavannahbananas.com/tickets and join the Ticket Lottery List. For Suites & Hospitality, visit: www.sutterhealthpark.com/savannahbananas for more information.