The Savannah Bananas embark on a historical 2023 season and it all starts here. After announcing that they'll be going all in on Banana Ball, the clock starts on prepping for a 33 city, 21 state, and 87 game journey that will change the game of baseball forever.
Hitting bombs with one eye? You never know what'll happen during a Banana Ball tryout. The coaches are on the hunt to find the most talented and most entertaining athletes in the world. Who has what it takes to be the next Banana Ball star? Shirtless Pitchers, a leprechaun, and a Space Invader walk onto a baseball diamond? What more could you want!
The cast is set and the clock is ticking. Final preparation have begun before the 2023 Banana Ball World Tour hits the road!
As the cast and crew rush to get everything ready for tour, the whole team; Bananas, Party Animals, staff, and characters all pitch in to help produce the most ambitious Bananas video yet, “The Greatest Show”. They use that video to launch the most epic tour in Bananas history, and the opening games feature a pair of wild endings. In West Palm Beach the teams wow the crowd with an action packed display of great plays and new tricks during their first game of the year. The wild showdown finish marks a first in Banana Ball history.
After launching the 2023 tour in West Palm Beach, Florida, The Bananas and The Party Animals return home to Historic Grayson Stadium to celebrate the 7th anniversary of their game-changing team. In their first home game of the season the players wow a crowd full of fans in banana costumes with a barrage of trick plays. The goal is to break the record for most people wearing banana costumes at one time! The competition is fierce and the game ends after 3 epic showdowns. It's the first tie in Banana Ball history!
Nine games into the tour The Bananas take on their first challenger; the MLB Alumni Players Association. Packed with former All Stars and World Series winners, the Bananas know they'll have to bring their "A" game. The Major Leaugers are excited to get in on the fun. What becomes clear right away is that the Bananas have already had an impact on the MLB. Jonny Gomes, Johnny Damon, Heath Bell, and all the others buy in all the way, and the game itself is electric. The Bananas have a secret weapon, JJ Falcon, a young ball player battling cancer who joins the team; it's an emotional dream come true.
Hear first hand from the people that bring the magic in Bananaland to life. Shoot for the Moon and if you don't make it land amongst the stars! Bananaland is not just a normal place! It's filled with magic, fun and unique characters and personalities that bring this special place to life! In this BONUS episode, hear a little more about your favorite players like, Dalton Mauldin, Danny Hosley, Alex Ziegler, and their unique journeys that got them to Bananaland.
On this episode the teams celebrate a special duo. Have you ever seen a full wedding, inside a baseball game, that's all under 2 hours? Well, you can check that off your bingo cards! The competition intensifies as the Party Animals are a head of the Bananas in this early tour!
Featuring a slew of MLB talent, the independent Dirty Birds from Charleston, West Virginia face off against the Bananas in front of a sell-out crowd at GoMart Ballpark. Noah Bridges faces off against his brother, and the Bananas need to play well to get back in the win column. It’s the second challenger from the 2023 tour. Then they head off to Tampa for a series at George Steinbrenner Field, home of the Yankees Spring Training.
The Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association face-off against the Savannah Bananas for their second challenger game at George Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida. After losing the first game in Savannah, the MLBPAA brought in additional reinforcements with All Stars Nick Swisher, Matt Joyce and Andrew Miller. At the same time, the Bananas entertainment and stadium team must quickly coordinate during torrential downpour to keep 10,000+ fans in their seats during an epic rain delay show.. Featuring appearances by Jake Peavy and Lou Pinella.
Nearly halfway through the tour The Party Animals stage their coming out party in Las Vegas. The Bananas social media goes dark while the Animals bring their energy to the famed desert town. The Bananas have started to make up ground on their rivals, and they know they'll face stiff competition in Sin City. Two-time Major League All-Star and World Series Champion Shane Victorino, who lives in Vegas, puts on his cleats for the first time in years to help the Bananas try to even up the series. The cast of entertainers take to the strip to meet and great fans, but the neon lights are outshined by the electricity of Banana Ball!
The Banana Ball World Tour stops in Oklahoma City, and Bananas Coach Tyler Gillum and trick pitcher Mat Wolf are greeted by thousands of fans as local legends. We meet Mat's family and visit with the Oklahoma City Fire Department where he currently serves as a firefighter. Tyler and Mat visit their old high school, while the team brings their show to the disabled kids at the Bethany Children’s Hospital. OKC native, and Party Animals catcher, Joe Lytle brings his father Keith, who is the head coach for the Oklahoma City University team, to his first game. Jocelyn Alo, the two-time USA Collegiate Softball Player of the Year for the University of Oklahoma, suits up for the Bananas.
Rolling into Durham, North Carolina - the Bananas push hard to crack the Party Animals lead on the momentum of a fan catch in the 9th inning that secured a win. The team starts off their visit by recreating the "lollygaggers" scene from the film Bull Durham with showman Bill Lee playing the grizzled vet who dispenses the important advice to coach Gillum, "scare them". The most emotional moment of the weekend is a powerful Bananas Foster moment, when a local family, the Teauges, announce that they are adopting their teenage foster son on his 18th birthday. Bananas Foster is a non-profit started by the Bananas that aims to support and celebrate the foster community.
The Bananas flew into California on a mission to take back the lead from the Party Animals. The team plays a prank on Jesse, and Bananas shortstop Ryan Cox becomes the first Banana Ball player in history to record 100 trick plays. The biggest story was the return of former Bananas Coach and Oakland Athletics Star Eric Byrnes who captivated the crowds with his reporting on the field. World Series Champion Hunter Pence wowed his hometown crowd with an electric performance in Sacramento. Byrnes also got another shot to face Party Animals pitcher Sean Fluke. With stops in Rancho Cucamonga, San Jose, Fresno and Sacramento, the Bananas first west coast excursion will be remembered forever.
The Bananas take on the Big Apple. 70 games into the 2023 tour, the Bananas sail into The North East and arrive in New York City to take on the Staten Island Ferry Hawks before continuing their battle with the Party Animals. After taking a lead over the Party Animals in California, the Bananas look to extend it in hopes of locking in the series season victory. New York is a homecoming for Coach Viro who created a youth league in NYC called the Bulldogs. Hundreds of his kids are going to show up, and one of the first kids he coached is now playing on the Ferry Hawks. Will Ganss from Good Morning America joins the team to see how quickly he can learn the Bananas' best dance moves, and the hometown crowd goes ballistic when Yankee legend CC Sabathia throws out the first pitch.
After a 7 month tour across the country, the nearly 70 game series between the Bananas and the Party Animals is tied up and comes down to the final game of the season in Cooperstown, the birthplace of Baseball. At the same time, the Bananas are having an exhibit dedicated to the team in the National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum. The road to Cooperstown is paved with a commitment to a Fans First ethos, and the Bananas and Party Animals honor that commitment right until the final fan has left the plaza party.
