PORTLAND, Maine — Known for their TikTok dances and circus atmosphere, the Savannah Bananas will be stopping at Hadlock Field in Portland on their just-announced 2023 world tour, a news release from the Portland Sea Dogs said on Tuesday.
The Georgia-based exhibition baseball team won't be playing the Sea Dogs at Hadlock, though. They will face their rivals, the Party Animals, according to the release.
“Taking the Bananas to Portland has been something we’ve heard constantly from our fans over the years,” Savannah Bananas Owner Jesse Cole told Hadlock officials.
The Bananas have built a massive following on social media, including more than 3.4 million TikTok followers. Their antics include dancing and trick plays that entertain their sold-out crowds.
Along with their world tour, the Savannah Bananas are featured in a five-part series on ESPN+ called "Bananaland."
Spectators should be prepared for "Banana Ball," the team's unique twist on the rules for the game of baseball. Those rules include:
- Time clock: Every game lasts a maximum of two hours. When the clock runs out, the game is over.
- Scoring: Runs are scored in traditional baseball style, with a runner crossing home plate, but they only count for the inning in which they're scored. The team with the most runs in an inning gets one point.
- Batter up: Batters must stay in the batter's box during their at-bat and they're not allowed to bunt.
- No walks: If a batter draws ball four, they run -- don't walk -- to first base, and any additional base they can reach before every defender touches the baseball and can tag them out.
- The tiebreaker: If a game ends in a tie, each team picks a hitter to face the opposing pitcher and one fielder (plus the catcher). Once the ball is hit, the hitter has to make it around to home plate to score a point before being put out.
- Foul balls are fair: If a fan catches a foul ball during an at-bat, the hitter is out.
The Savannah Bananas will play at Hadlock Field on August 18 and 19, 2023.
For more information about tickets, click here.
More NEWS CENTER Maine stories