Savannah Bananas pitcher Blake McGehee, right, dances during a pregame performance for the fans waiting for the gates to open before the team's baseball game against the Wilmington Sharks, Saturday, June 11, 2022, in Savannah, Ga. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton)
The Savannah Bananas are headed west.
San Jose’s Excite Ballpark, home of the Single-A Giants, will host the Bananas as they take on their rivals, the Party Animals, on July 25 of next year.
The Bananas have garnered national attention for their fun-loving style of baseball, which includes players on stilts, choreographed infield dances and a number of trick pitches. The Bananas’ pep band and dancers — from the umpire to the Banana Nanas senior dance team — borrow from other sports to keep the game lively.
Savannah Bananas games are wild
(via @TheSavBananas, h/t @djspydermann) pic.twitter.com/LDl1ADQHd3
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 21, 2022
“Banana Ball” also features unconventional rules to keep the game fast-paced and interesting for fans, including no bunting, batters stealing first base and a two-hour time limit.
The Bananas’ 2022 seven-stop U.S. tour was featured in the ESPN+ documentary series “Bananaland”. ESPN’s streaming arm also carries the Bananas’ games. The team is also popular on TikTok, where it has 3.4 million followers thanks to the wild videos created by the Bananas’ fun style of baseball.
The rosters for both the Bananas and the Party Animals will be filled out by independent pro players who will play along the 32-city 2023 tour. Including the games they’ll play in Savannah, the Bananas have 70 games next season, with 18 coming against “challenger” teams aside from the Party Animals.
Former MLB players have gotten in on the action with the Bananas, including former Giant Jake Peavy and former A Josh Reddick, a Savannah native. Last season, former All-Star pitcher Bill Lee played with the Bananas at age 75 and has said he plans to return next season.
Tickets are not on sale yet, but you can sign up for pre-sale alerts on the Bananas’ website.
Originally published at Bay Area News GroupLook out 2023! We’ve got some big things in store for you on the Banana Ball World Tour. #GoBananas pic.twitter.com/L1ui0ti7ew
— Savannah Bananas (@TheSavBananas) October 4, 2022