What surprised us most wasn’t the novelty - though there’s plenty of that, from a pitcher on stilts to the fully-committed “Dad Bod Cheer Squad” - but how coherent the whole evening felt. Sketches and stunts never smothered the baseball. Behind-the-back throws snapped across the diamond, the tempo never sagged, and a cameo inning from former Padres closer Heath Bell landed like a love letter to San Diego. Between innings, the crowd turned into the show: a pregnant-moms dance-off that had the lower bowl howling, a baby choosing a “favorite parent” (cue cream pie to the face for the runner-up), and a lights-out, phone-lights-on singalong to Coldplay’s “Yellow.” Petco felt intimate and alive.
How this phenomenon happened
The Bananas started in 2016 as a collegiate summer team in Savannah’s historic Grayson Stadium. In 2018 they began experimenting with a faster, fan-first format they call Banana Ball, and in 2022 they left the Coastal Plain League entirely to barnstorm year-round. That pivot turned a quirky local club into a national tour that now sells out huge venues, including MLB ballparks like Petco, and draws a waitlist in the millions.
This season’s schedule tells the story: multiple Major League stops, football stadiums, and back-to-back nights at big parks. Petco Park's dates were September 5-6 against the Bananas' touring foes the Firefighters; San Diego is one pin on a map that has recently included sellouts from Fenway to the home fields of the Phillies, Cardinals, Reds, and Royals. Owner Jesse Cole told ESPN they played to roughly a million fans last year and expect to double that, with a waitlist over 3 million.
Banana Ball, explained (and why it works)
Think baseball, remixed for momentum. Every inning is worth one point, so each frame matters. There’s a two-hour time cap to keep things moving. Fans can make an out - yes, catch a foul ball in the seats and it counts. Ball four becomes a full-sprint sequence with multiple required throws rather than a walk. Batters can steal first on a wild pitch. And ties end in a one-on-one showdown between pitcher and hitter with a stripped-down defense. The effect is less "gimmick" than "pacing" - the dead air gets shaved off while the best parts of baseball stay intact.
Friday’s heartbeat
The night’s theatrical peaks were genuinely clever: a “Top Gun” runway-style entrance by a Firefighters pitcher (complete with shirtless faux beach football), a Ron Burgundy news-desk send-up, a singalong to Blink 182's "All The Small Things" reminiscent of a Padres game, and that back-flip game-ender in left. But the connective tissue - the music, the crowd invitations, the dancing players (and ump), the mic’d chatter - mattered more. Petco’s sound and sight lines kept things crisp, and the bits spilled into concourses and corners so that wandering the park felt like roaming a festival. It was striking to see so many families in themed gear, grandparents passing foam bananas to grandkids, and, yes, ushers dancing and smiling ear-to-ear between sections.
A gentle suggestion to MLB
Baseball’s cathedral doesn’t need to become a carnival to learn from the Bananas. The majors could adopt a few small, joyful habits without touching the rulebook: fill the in-betweens with a livelier soundtrack and smart, family-friendly crowd moments; let fans hear a mic’d-up exchange more often; polish the production so inning breaks feel like a beat, not a void. The pitch clock proved that pace can improve; a little more attention to momentum would help first-timers feel welcome and regulars feel seen. Done with care, these aren’t gimmicks - they’re hospitality.
Baseball’s cathedral doesn’t need to become a carnival to learn from the Bananas. The majors could adopt a few small, joyful habits without touching the rulebook: fill the in-betweens with a livelier soundtrack and smart, family-friendly crowd moments; let fans hear a mic’d-up exchange more often; polish the production so inning breaks feel like a beat, not a void. The pitch clock proved that pace can improve; a little more attention to momentum would help first-timers feel welcome and regulars feel seen. Done with care, these aren’t gimmicks - they’re hospitality.
Why we’re going back
We arrived curious and left changed. The show honors the craft (those throws, those catches) and the community (those smiles, those lights) in equal measure. After years of covering dozens of concerts and games, we don’t say this lightly: the Bananas made Petco Park feel new again. They’re back tonight, and we just might be too.
Savannah Bananas at Petco Park: September 5-6, 2025 - vs. the Firefighters. More at the Padres’ event page and Petco’s calendar. Tickets can still be purchased on third-party sites like StubHub and SeatGeek.
Originally published on September 6, 2025.
