COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Savannah Bananas will be in Columbus this weekend.
The team will play three exhibition games at Huntington Park from May 24 to May 26 as part of their 2024 world tour. This is the team's first time in Columbus.
The Savannah Bananas, who has gone viral on TikTok and took center stage of a five-part ESPN+ documentary, plays what they call "banana ball," which includes eccentric antics, choreographed dances and modified rules to make the game fast, wild and fun for fans.
Some of those modified rules include two-hour time limits, no bunting, no stepping out of the batter's box, no walks, and no mound visits. Players can steal first base, and fans can catch foul balls that count as outs. Every inning is worth a point and there is a tiebreaker showdown.
Tickets for the Columbus game are sold out, but fans can join a waiting list for future games around the country.
Who are the Savannah Bananas?
The Savannah Bananas is not your typical baseball team.
The team plays “banana ball,” described as the fastest and most entertaining game in sports. The players perform choreographed dances every game and each player wears kilts.
The Savannah Bananas also have the best support teams:
- Banana Nanas, a senior citizen dance team
- The Man-Nana’s the cheerleading squad
- The Banana Splitz, a young dance team
Every game, the team honors the “banana baby” with players kneeling around the baby being lifted in a banana costume to the opening music from “The Lion King.”
What are the rules of “banana ball?”
The team’s website lists 11 rules that make up the game.
Each game has a two-hour time limit and each inning is worth one point. The team that gets the most runs in an inning gets a point for that inning. The exception is the last inning where every run counts.
There are no walks allowed in "banana ball." If a pitcher throws ball four, the hitter will take off running while every defensive player on the field must touch the ball before it becomes live. The hitter can advance to as many bases as they want and the ball does not have to touch the catcher or pitcher.
The showdown tie breaker
If the game is tied, it will go into a showdown tiebreak. In each showdown, the hitter must score and it’s worth one point if they do. If the hitter gets out, no points are given and it’s called a showdown shutdown.
- 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.
Every run counts as a point. If no team has won after three showdowns, they will continue with the bases loaded and one fielder until one team has won.
If at any point a homerun is hit over the outfield wall, it’s a walk off win and the game is over.
The banana ball challenge rule
In “banana ball,” each team is allowed to challenge one ruling on the field. The coach of each team will have a challenge prop or item that they must throw/shoot on the field before the next pitch for the play to be challenged.
The play will be reviewed by the broadcast and the call will be replayed to the Umpire Field Chief to make the call. If a team wins the challenge and the call is overruled, the team will retain a challenge for later in the game. If the call is upheld or the challenge is inconclusive, they will lose their opportunity to challenge for the rest of the game.
THREE CATEGORIES OF CHALLENGES:
-Fair/foul ball calls
-Force/tag play calls
-Catch plays in the outfield or infield
In addition to each team’s challenge, the fans will have one opportunity to challenge a ruling during the game.
Prior to the game, the fans will choose one fan to represent them. The fan representative will have the opportunity to challenge one play a night.
If the fan representative chooses to challenge, the fan will shoot off confetti and hold up the “Fan Challenge” sign to make it official.
The Golden Batter Rule
The game also follows the Golden Batter Rule, where a team may send any hitter in the lineup in any spot one time a game. The goal is so that the best hitter can hit when the game is on the line.
