The Banana Ball World Tour comes to Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin for a three-day bonanza starting Thursday after selling out Yankee Stadium last weekend.
This is the third time the league has visited Las Vegas. This time the “home team” Party Animals will take on the Loco Beach Coconuts in three games in three nights.
Here’s five things you need to know about the once barnstorming promotion that has become one of the biggest draws in American sports.
What is Banana Ball?
Banana Ball is baseball with a twist. After founders Jesse and Emily Cole saw their team, the Savannah Bananas, struggling for ticket sales in a college summer league, they started their mission to make baseball fun again, creating a unique rule set and entertainment spectacle with fans at the forefront.
The Bananas are famous for their on-field antics, choreographed dances and acrobatic backflip catches in the outfield — just one of several ways players engage a crowd.
They’ve done so for the past eight years and have grown from a few thousand in attendance to selling out professional ballparks across the country.
For the 2026 season, the Banana Ball Championship League will visit 75 stadiums in 45 states in front of 3.2 million fans, according to Jesse Cole.
What are the rules?
The rules of Banana Ball were made with the fans in mind.
— There is a two-hour time limit for each game. Each inning is worth one point. The team that scores the most runs in an inning earns a single point.
— There are no walks. On a ball four, the batter sprints to first base and can advance as far as they can while every fielder must touch the ball before it is live again.
— No bunting. “If a hitter bunts, they are ejected from the game,” a Banana Ball rules flyer reads.
— Batters can steal first on a wild pitch, regardless of where they are in the count.
— To keep the game moving, no mound visits are allowed. Pitchers are on an island.
— If a fan catches a foul ball, it is an out.
— The tiebreaker format: a showdown with just one pitcher, one batter and one fielder per team.
Are games scripted?
Often compared to the Harlem Globetrotters, the Banana Ball Championship League gameplay is not scripted. There are no Washington Generals, billed to take a loss every night.
The six teams in this year’s league are in true competition, but with a routine flare that is prepared.
Not convinced? The Bananas have won just one championship in the past four years. They are also not playing this weekend in Vegas as the show and competition has grown beyond the league’s namesake and most popular franchise.
Who plays Banana Ball?
Banana Ball isn’t just fun and games for average Joes. There are some serious big-league names.
In the inaugural Banana Ball Player Draft in November, Jackie Bradley Jr. – a former MLB All-Star, Gold Glove winner, American League Series MVP and World Series champion – was the No. 1 overall pick.
The league rosters are littered with talent on the cusp of their primes and the moonlight of their careers. Hayden Harris, played for the Bananas as a 22-year-old in 2021 before climbing the minors. He was called up to the Atlanta Braves on April 14.
The league has proved to be a developmental showcase and also a pit stop for former MLB stars like Cy Young winner Jake Peavy and Hall of Famers Joe Torre and Trevor Hoffman.
Most players have collegiate baseball experience at a bare minimum, and many have played professionally in some capacity.
How to watch
Good luck getting a ticket. Almost every Banana Ball event this year is sold out.
However, the games in Las Vegas this weekend can be streamed on YouTube. The Bananas also have a nationally broadcasted game against the Texas Tailgaters at College Station on the Texas A&M campus at 5 p.m. PT on Saturday. The game will be televised on ESPN2 and can be streamed on the ESPN app, Disney+ and YouTube.
At Las Vegas Ballpark, the Party Animals take on the Loco Beach Coconuts on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. All games start at 7 p.m.
