Savannah Bananas coming to Philadelphia for 2024 Banana Ball World Tour
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Savannah Bananas will be taking over Citizens Bank Park for one night next year. The Bananas on Thursday said they're bringing the 2024 Banana Ball World Tour to Philadelphia on Sept. 21, 2024.
Savannah will be "bringing the Banana Ball flair to Philly," its social media post reads.
The Bananas' trip to Philadelphia will not interfere with the Phillies, who will be in New York for a four-game series with the Mets.
Savannah brought its 2023 Banana Ball World Tour to Trenton, New Jersey, in August. The Bananas played the Trenton Thunder, and the game quickly became a hot ticket in town.
Morrisville Little League manager Matt Wolski said "buying a ticket for this is like going to see Springsteen in Philadelphia in two weeks, but this might be cooler." Bruce Springsteen was forced to postpone his Philly concerts due to peptic ulcer.
Who are the Bananas?
Jesse Cole launched the Bananas in February 2016. The barnstorming exhibition baseball team quickly caught national attention for its "Banana Ball" style of playing, attracting millions of fans with its social media videos and circus-like antics.
What is "Banana Ball"?
The Bananas' website describes "Banana Ball" as the "fastest and most entertaining game of baseball." Players dance, sometimes bat on stilts, host postgame interviews in bathroom stalls and plenty more.
But what exactly is "Banana Ball"? Here's the rundown, according to the Bananas' website.
Banana Ball outlaws bunting, stepping out of the batter's box and mound visits, and games are won by points -- not runs.
Think the pitch clock in MLB makes games faster? Banana Ball has a two-hour limit -- "no new inning can be started after 1 hour and 50 minutes," according to Rule 2.
Walks are not a thing in Banana Ball, and batters can steal first base.
Fans are part of the game too. Rule 8 states that if a fan catches a foul ball, then an out is recorded.
If games are tied at the end of the two-hour limit, the game will enter a three-round "Showdown Tiebreaker" to determine a winner.
How to get tickets
Fans can sign up for the 2024 Banana Ball World Tour ticket lottery on Savannah's website.
