CLEVELAND — The world famous Savannah Bananas will once again be taking baseball's biggest party across America in 2024, and for the first time ever, major league stadiums will be hosting their "Banana Ball World Tour."
One of those stops will be right here in Northeast Ohio, under the bright lights of Progressive Field.
The Bananas revealed their full tour schedule on Thursday and announced they will be traveling to Cleveland on Aug. 10 while the Guardians are on the road in Minnesota. The corner of Carnegie and Ontario will be one of six big league ballparks to host "The Greatest Show in Sports" next year, with other stops including Houston, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, and Washington, D.C.
"Cleveland, we're ready to rock & roll on a BIG stage," the Bananas announced on X during their "World Tour Draft."
Often compared to basketball's Harlem Globetrotters, the Bananas initially began as a collegiate summer league team before their special brand of "Banana Ball" began to gain popularity not just in their home state of Georgia, but nationwide. The team now competes in exhibition games against other touring semi-pro squads such as the "Party Animals."
But what exactly is "Banana Ball"? Well, it's a bit complicated, but here are just a few of the unique rules:
- Games aren't won by runs scored, but rather "points," with the team that scores the most runs in an inning getting one point.
- There is a two-hour time limit, and no new inning can be started after one hour and 50 minutes. In the last inning, every run counts as a point.
- No bunting allowed or mound visits allowed.
- Batters can try to steal first base.
- "Walks" are instead "sprints," with every batter drawing ball four required to run as far as they can around the bases while all fielders touch the ball.
- If a fan catches a foul ball, it counts as an out.
- Ties are broken not by extra innings, but a special "showdown tiebreaker."
Got it? Well, regardless, the Bananas' unique brand of baseball has made them a worldwide sensation, selling out stadiums from coast to coast while gaining the admiration of fans and analysts alike. They even made a stop at Akron's Canal Park in 2023, and this year will also head to Huntington Park in Columbus from May 24-26.
The Bananas packed Canal Park to its more-than-7,000-seat capacity last summer, but Progressive Field holds roughly 35,000 spectators. Still, tickets are expected to be at a premium, so if you want to see the action, you'd better act fast and get into the team's ticket lottery! Head to thesavannahbananas.com/tickets for more information.
