Wisconsin residents can look forward to a fun-filled 2023 with the newly announced visit from the crowd-involving, energy-filled social media sensation the Savannah Bananas.
The Savannah Bananas will bring their unconventional, exhilarating, and eccentric brand of baseball to Franklin, the Milwaukee suburb, next season.
Initially traveling in a limited capacity outside of Georgia, the Bananas are expanding to more cities in their 21-state tour.
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Milwaukee is among the 33 cities hosting the Banana Ball World Tour. The viral exhibition baseball team will play at Franklin Field on September 8 and 9.
The Bananas usually travel with the Party Animals, another squad that acts as its foe, but they will play against the Milwaukee Milkmen during next year’s stop.
Based in Savannah, Georgia, the team was founded in 2016 and participated in the Coastal Plain League until last season, winning three championships.
In 2022, they took part in a regional tour of 7 cities in Kansas City and the Southeast while maintaining their home base at Grayson Stadium in Savannah.
Next year’s world tour features 70 games in 33 cities across 21 states.
“We have heard from more than 150 cities so far,” said yellow-tuxedoed owner Jesse Cole. “Major league teams, countless Triple-A ballparks, and nearly every area in the country had reached out, thrilled to bring us to their community.”
Regarding logistics, the Bananas are not yet equipped to play in the big-league ballparks, but Franklin Field, also known as the Ballpark Commons, the 4,000-seat venue, provides an excellent fit for the team’s pre and in-game shenanigans.
Combined with a recently opened Luxe Golf Bays, the Ballpark Commons has become a premier sports destination.
The Bananas are famous for their wild and wacky performance exhibitions, with many of their social media videos going viral. CNN has dubbed them “TikTok’s favorite baseball team,” and they are the subject of Bananaland, a 5-part ESPN+ Original series.
The team’s professional travel version plays a competitive, unscripted baseball game that features several rule alterations, including any foul ball caught by a fan resulting in an out.
Moreover, “Banana Ball” exhibitions emphasize speed. There is a two-hour time limit, zero mound visits, and batters cannot leave the batter’s box once they enter. Although batters cannot bunt, they can steal first base. When a player walks, he can sprint around the bases until each defense player touches the ball, at which point the runner can be tagged out.
Extra innings feature one fielder, a catcher, and a pitcher. The batter must try to round the bases before he is tagged out.
The Banana’s head coach, Tyler Gillum, says;
“The 2023 Banana Ball World Tour will be the most exhilarating, mind-boggling, craziest, and fun thing to happen in sports. The show will be undeniable. We’ll have 40 of the most wildly entertaining and highly talented players in the world traveling across the U.S, creating ‘never forget moments’ for each family that attends a game.”
Tickets for the two games slotted at Franklin Field are not available yet. Still, fans can register for the presale list, alerts, and complete schedule on the Savannah Bananas’ official website.
Want to learn more about the Savannah Bananas? Watch the video below to learn about their amazing origin story.
