Yes, This Baseball Game Really Ended When a Fan Caught a Foul Ball

This team does things a little differently.
Yes, This Baseball Game Really Ended When a Fan Caught a Foul Ball
Yes, This Baseball Game Really Ended When a Fan Caught a Foul Ball /

The Savannah Bananas aren’t your typical baseball team. 

Their version of the game can most accurately be described as a Harlem Globetrotters take on baseball. They call it “Banana Ball” and it features all sorts of off-the-wall rules, like the ability to steal first base and tiebreaker called the ”showdown” in which the batter and pitcher square off with no other fielders on defense. 

Banana Ball rule No. 8 is a doozy, and it made for a fun scene on Tuesday night. The rule states that if a fan catches a foul ball on the fly, it counts as an out. With two outs in the ninth inning of Tuesday’s game in Kannapolis, N.C., Dustin Baber ripped a line drive into foul territory past third base, where a fan was able to snag it with their glove. 

It was an impressive play under any circumstances, but under Banana Ball rules, it also counted as the final out of the game. 

The Bananas used to play in the Coastal Plains League, a college wood-bat summer league, but were best known for their offseason Banana Ball exhibitions. Those wacky games became so popular that this year, after winning the CPL championship last season, the team decided to leave the league and play Banana Ball all year round. In addition to playing games in Savannah, Ga., at the nearly 100-year-old Grayson Field, the Bananas also tour the country, playing games against the Party Animals (their in-house foil) as well as against independent league teams. But good luck seeing them in a town near you. Tickets for their entire summer tour are sold out. 

Fans loved the ending: 


Published
Dan Gartland
DAN GARTLAND

Dan Gartland is the writer and editor of Sports Illustrated’s flagship daily newsletter, SI:AM, covering everything an educated sports fan needs to know. He joined the SI staff in 2014, having previously been published on Deadspin and Slate. Gartland, a graduate of Fordham University, is a former Sports Jeopardy! champion (Season 1, Episode 5).