INDIANAPOLIS — Due to an "immense demand for tickets," the Savannah Bananas added a second date to its stop in Indianapolis.
The barnstorming viral banana ball team is bringing its unique take on the nation's pastime to Victory Field. The Bananas will face their "rivals," the Party Animals, on Thursday, June 29 and Friday, June 30 at the home of the Indianapolis Indians.
(NOTE: The video in the player above is a story about the Savannah Bananas from our sister station KENS in San Antonio.)
Tickets are not on sale yet for the Bananas' games at Victory Field, but fans are able to sign up for presale alerts. Indians fans who are existing or become full-season, half-season or mini-plan holders for the 2023 season will have access to a presale before tickets go on sale to the general public.
Tickets for the games start at $25, with children under the age of 3 getting in free, as long as they don't occupy their own seat.
The Bananas have built a massive following on social media, including more than 3.8 million TikTok followers, for the circus-like atmosphere at their games. On top of what you'd expect to find at a ballgame, the Savannah players often break out into dance moves and find ways to get the crowd directly involved in the game.
"With an already loaded Banana Ball World Tour that includes 32 cities across the country, Indianapolis is among the few cities that will host the Bananas for multiple dates," said Indians president and general manager Randy Lewandowski in a release.
The Bananas created "Banana Ball" as an alternative way to play the game they've loved since childhood. Some of the unique rules include:
- Time clock: Every game lasts a maximum of two hours. When the clock strikes :00, the game is over.
- Scoring: Runs are scored in traditional baseball style, with a runner crossing home plate, but they only count for the inning in which they're scored. The team with the most runs in an inning gets one point.
- Batter up: Batters must stay in the batter's box during their at bat, and they're not allowed to bunt.
- No walks: If a batter draws ball four, they run — don't walk — to first base, and any additional base they can reach before every defender touches the baseball and can tag them out.
- The tiebreaker: If a game ends in a tie, each team picks a hitter to face the opposing pitcher and one fielder (plus the catcher). Once the ball is hit, the hitter has to make it around to home plate to score a point before being put out.
- Foul balls are fair: If a fan catches a foul ball during an at bat, the hitter is out.