The Savannah Bananas are an exhibition baseball team from Savannah, Georgia. As well as playing their home games at Grayson Stadium, the Bananas also tour the United States playing fellow exhibition sides and minor league challengers. Unlike any other team in baseball, the Savannah Bananas play their games under "Banana Ball" rules, in which fan catches count as part of the game, bunting is banned, and games last a maximum of 2 hours.
📜 Savannah Bananas History
Founded in 2016, the Savannah Bananas replaced the city's former baseball team, the Savannah Sand Gnats. As a collegiate summer baseball team, the Bananas played their games in the Coastal Plain League's West Division, winning 3 Petitt Cup championships in 2016, 2021, and 2022.
Alongside the team's on-field success, the Savannah Bananas gained wider recognition due to their focus on fun and fan experience. Thanks to a quirky approach to the game and a number of viral videos, the Bananas were soon featured in national media outlets like ESPN and Sports Illustrated, helping the club to gain an even greater following.
Following the 2022 season, the Savannah Bananas announced that they would no longer be competing as a collegiate amatuer team, but instead focusing on playing "Banana Ball" as an exhibition side. In a similar way to the Harlem Globetrotters, the Bananas embarked on a major World Tour in 2023, bringing their unique take on baseball to 33 cities across 22 states. The team, who also still play a large number of games at their Grayson Stadium home, faced a variety of opponents, including fellow exhibition side the Savannah Party Animals, and a selection of independent teams.
Further fueled by a 2022 ESPN+ documentary about the club called Bananaland, the popularity of the Savannah Bananas continues to grow.
