Banana Takes Over Buffalo

BUFFALO, NY — Banana Ball is more than just your average baseball game.

“Exhilarating, electric and fun,” said Banana Ball founder Jesse Cole.

“I would say it’s more entertaining,” Savannah Bananas head coach Tyler Gillum said. “It’s faster paced and more exciting for all the fans that come to see the game.”

“It’s a fast-paced game,” Firefighters catcher and first baseman Alex Bentley said. “It’s a game the fans will enjoy. The fans come first.”

“We’re going to see a lot more risk-taking,” Firefighters shortstop Isaac Parra said.

“It’s non-stop energy, electricity and talent,” said Bananas entertainment director Zack Frongillo.

Somehow, it didn’t become an online sensation overnight.

“When we first started, we only sold a handful of tickets,” Cole said. “My wife and I had to sell our house, empty our savings account. We were sleeping on an air mattress just 8 years ago and now to see the waiting lists for tickets over 2.7 million and people coming from all over the country to see us, it’s incredible.”

For gamers, finding motivation is easy.

“Being able to impact so many people,” Bananas pitcher Dakota “Stilts” Albritton said, “that’s what keeps me here. I’m not a hard guy to make happy and making other people happy makes me the happiest person in the world.”

“I love this game,” Parra said. “I’ve been playing baseball since I was three years old, so it’s something that will always be with me no matter how old I get. I’ll probably be 70 and still be playing baseball.”

So what exactly can you expect as a fan at Sahlen Field this weekend?

“It’s the best four or five hours of your life,” Bananas referee Vincent Chapman said. “You don’t worry about what’s going on at work, what’s going on at home. You don’t have to worry about what dishes you have or what bills you have to pay here. It’s just the best experience you can have, no matter what the event is. It’s like going to your favorite concert and forgetting all your worries.”

If you’re lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of the Savannah Bananas channeling their inner Bills Mafia again with another table-smashing celebration.

The Bananas and Firefighters will play two more games this weekend in Buffalo. The next game will be Saturday at 7 p.m. and the final game at Sahlen Field will be Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.