Savannah Bananas to play games in Cleveland and Columbus as part of 2024 season

Craig Webb, Columbus Dispatch
·2 min read

Banana Ball is coming back to Ohio.

The Savannah Bananas announced Thursday night they will play games at Huntington Park in Columbus May 24-26.

The exhibition barnstorming baseball team − known for its antics on and off the field − will also play at Cleveland's Progressive Field on Aug. 10.

The Savannah Bananas ballplayers are known for their showmanship along with a dancing first base coach and colorful guest players.

The team has developed a cult-like following on the internet.

In past seasons, former major league players like 75-year-old pitcher Bill Lee, a former All-Star for the Boston Red Sox, was a guest player and was transported to the diamond aboard a cart when he pitched in relief.

The team is also known to break out in elaborate dances in the middle of the game and sell out games both at home and on the road.

Last summer, the team sold out two games in the 7,630-seat Canal Park in downtown Akron.

Bananas players dance at second base after Dakota McFadden's RBI during the Savannah Bananas' World Tour at Canal Park, Monday, July 3, 2023, in Akron, Ohio.
Bananas players dance at second base after Dakota McFadden's RBI during the Savannah Bananas' World Tour at Canal Park, Monday, July 3, 2023, in Akron, Ohio.

How to get Savannah Banana tickets

Tickets are not on sale for the games just yet. The team suggests visiting thesavannahbananas.com/tickets for updates on when they will be available and to get on a ticket pre-sale list.

The team plans to set up a ticket lottery that will close Dec. 1 for the chance to get tickets to the Ohio appearances.

Party Animals catcher Dalton Cornett, bottom, crawls through the legs of Bananas batter Bill Leroy during the Savannah Bananas' World Tour at Canal Park, Monday, July 3, 2023, in Akron, Ohio.
Party Animals catcher Dalton Cornett, bottom, crawls through the legs of Bananas batter Bill Leroy during the Savannah Bananas' World Tour at Canal Park, Monday, July 3, 2023, in Akron, Ohio.

What makes a Savannah Bananas game different?

The team bills itself as the “World Famous Baseball Circus” and certainly lives up to it.

There are plenty of on-field comic antics that include dancers, performers, mascots and musicians.

And, oh yeah, there's a baseball game thrown in for good measure.

The game is played a bit different, with no bunting and a two-hour time limit. In addition, foul balls caught by fans are called outs, and batters can steal first base.

The Bananas will play against its sworn rival, the Party Animals, whose roster includes independent professional players with some retired Major League players mixed in.

The team is based in Grayson Stadium in Savannah, Georgia, and has been around since 2016.

Craig Webb can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland and Columbus score spots on Savannah Bananas 2024 season