Savannah Bananas Bring Family Fun to Buffalo

The stadium was sold out all weekend, filled with families who decided to bring their kids to see the Bananas perform their own eccentric version of America’s national pastime.

And the Bananas didn’t disappoint, winning their series against rival Banana Ball team The Firefighters, which ended in a 4-1 victory in Sunday afternoon’s match.

“The kids had a great time,” said Genny Kinyon. She attended the game with her 3-year-old son and her husband, who coaches a Lou Gehrig youth softball team, who also took part in the festivities in the stands.

Kinyon was impressed by the Bananas’ engagement with the kids, who she said were “screaming their lungs out” throughout the game.

Baseball wasn’t the only thing on the radar, as many fans gathered in the stadium between and during innings to grab a bite to eat. One family that found themselves enjoying a serving of ice cream was the Pychels, who were among the winners of a ticket lottery that gave them the chance to attend the Bananas’ 2024 World Tour.

“We’re big baseball fans, so we wanted to come,” said Laura Pychel, who was accompanied to the stadium by her husband and their 20-month-old son, as well as her parents.

The Bananas’ presence in Buffalo has even drawn out-of-town visitors. Courtney Booth traveled from Elmira with her two children, Luke, 10, and Lily, 8, to see the team’s entertaining style of play.

“The game was great, we’re so grateful to have gotten tickets,” Booth said. “It was electrifying, full of energy and just fantastic.”

Some fans even came across the northern border to watch the Bananas play Sunday afternoon. April Chiro, who traveled from Canada with her daughter, said the game was a fun alternative to Canada’s only Major League Baseball team, the Toronto Blue Jays.

“We’re from Canada and we love watching baseball there,” she said. Chiro said that after discovering the Bananas online, she and her daughter loved what they saw, which led them to decide to buy tickets to see them in Buffalo.

And their trip didn’t disappoint, as Sunday’s game saw the Bananas perform all of their classic antics, ending in true Banana Ball fashion when left fielder Robert Anthony Cruz caught the final out while doing a backflip to win the game.

“It was a great opportunity to have a little more fun and entertainment,” she said. “The energy is high, there’s so much going on and they keep all the kids engaged in the game.”