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Dakota "Stilts" Albritton

Dakota "Stilts" Albritton throws a pitch for the Savannah Bananas against the Kansas City Monarch. Bananas photo

published on October 5, 2022 - 1:28 PM
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Chukchansi Park and the Fresno Grizzlies will welcome a unique brand of entertainment to Fresno next year for one night, hosting the Savannah Bananas and their “World Famous Baseball Circus” to town for their one-of-a-kind style of baseball entertainment.

Following a sold-out, seven-city 2022 Banana Ball World Tour, the Bananas announced Tuesday a 32-city tour this upcoming season, in addition to their games in Savannah, Georgia.

The team will appear in Fresno on July 27, 2023.

More than 700 cities in 28 countries were nominated by fans in 2023.

“The response has been absolutely Bananas for this world tour,” said Owner Jesse Cole in a press release on Tuesday. “Everywhere we go we hear from fans begging us to come to their city. We are so grateful for their support and because of their passion for the Bananas and Banana Ball we knew we had to extend the tour dramatically in 2023.”

Banana Ball is a fast-paced style of baseball with unique rules — no bunting, a two-hour time limit, fan interaction and the possibility of a one-on-one tiebreaker among other quirks not usually seen on the baseball diamond.

In 2022, the Savannah Bananas were featured in a 5-part documentary, “Bananaland,” which was aired on ESPN+.

The Bananas have also been featured on The Today Show, HBO Real Sports, FOX Sports and The New York Times, as well as many other media outlets.

Known as TikTok’s favorite team, the Bananas tally more than 3 million followers, attracting fans by playing a game in kilts, a player on stilts, dancing players, coaches and even umpires, a Banana pep band, breakdancing players and more.

The Bananas’ 3 million TikTok followers outpace every MLB team.

In Fresno, the Bananas will face off against their rival, the Party Animals. Both rosters are filled with scouted, professional players, led by Bananas captains Bill LeRoy and Kyle Lugis.

In 2022, former MLB stars Jake Peavy, Jonathan Papelbon, Josh Reddick and Johnny Bench all joined the Bananas during their tour.

“Taking the Bananas to Fresno has been something we’ve heard constantly from our fans over the years,” said Cole. “We are fired up to bring an unforgettable show to them this spring.”

The priority list for tickets has reached 80,000 in Savannah alone, selling out games at Grayson Stadium for six consecutive years.

Tickets for the Fresno event go on sale approximately two months prior to the event date, with a presale alert list notifying fans of ticket information, according to the Bananas. Tickets will be available at thesavannahbananas.com/ontheroad.


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