A loopy, fast-paced and popular type of baseball game is coming to the home of the St. Paul Saints.
The Banana Ball World Tour is stopping at CHS Field Friday and Saturday, with the Party Animals facing off the Texas Tailgaters in two sold-out games.
Banana Ball, named after its inaugural team the Savannah Bananas, is a type of barnstorming exhibition baseball that brands itself as the greatest party in sports. It has grown a national following for its over-the-top antics and unique set of rules that prioritize the fan experience.
Hijinks include a choreographed dance by the players, sing-alongs, and a band composed of Tailgater players. There is a two-hour time limit for the game in which every inning counts. The winner of each inning gets a point, but in the ninth inning, every run is a point. There are no mound visits, batters can steal first base and bunts result in a game ejection.
Banana Ball also reimagines common plays in the game. Instead of a walk, on a fourth ball the batter takes off in full sprint and every fielder must touch the ball before the batter can be tagged out.
To bring fan involvement directly into the game, if a fan catches a foul ball, it’s an out.
The sport has grown a massive following, with the Banana Ball World Tour selling out several MLB and NFL stadiums this year. The Party Animals, who are the Bananas’ biggest rival, have 3.5 million followers on TikTok, compared to the Minnesota Twins’ 275,000.
Bananas founder and league owner Jesse Cole describes Banana Ball as a faster and more entertaining game that eliminates all the boring parts of baseball.
