Go bananas: Baseball's wacky Savannah Bananas to come to Utah in 2024


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SALT LAKE CITY — The "greatest show in sports" is coming to Utah.

The Savannah Bananas are set to bring their "Banana Ball" spin on the nation's pastime to Smith's Ballpark for the first time Aug. 30-31, as a part of its 2024 World Tour, the team announced Thursday evening.

"Ain't salty about this pick," the team posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, as a part of a city "draft" to announce their schedule.

The team also launched a webpage where fans can sign up to enter a ticket lottery for the two games.

The Bananas' story has been well chronicled in recent years because of its uniqueness and success. Jesse Cole purchased the small college player league team in 2016, tinkering around with it and building an empire by flipping the game's rules upside down.

The team features wacky rules like counting all spectator foul ball catches as an out and banning bunting, as noted by the Los Angeles Times. This is on top of the choreography and other antics, which often go viral on social media.

"We are not your typical baseball team. We are different. We take chances. We toe the line. We test the rules. We challenge the ways things are supposed to be," the team's website states.

The Bananas have sold out every game since its opening season and now has a ticket waitlist that stretches "in the thousands," according to the team. More recently, the team has had games on ESPN and is now barnstorming across the country.

The Baseball Hall of Fame also introduced a new exhibit last month to recognize the team's role in the game's history.

"The game continues to evolve, and I think Banana Ball is part of the evolution," Josh Rawitch, president of the Hall, told the Associated Press at the time it was announced.

In all, Utah is one of two dozen locations the Georgia-based independent baseball club will travel to next year as a part of its world tour.

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Carter Williams, KSLCarter Williams
Carter Williams is a reporter for KSL. He covers Salt Lake City, statewide transportation issues, outdoors, the environment and weather. He is a graduate of Southern Utah University.
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