For the second year in a row, the Savannah Bananas bring their viral Banana Ball to the Queen City.
The Georgia-based exhibition baseball team, dubbed the “greatest show in sports” by ESPN, hosts a three-game series at Great American Ball Park on June 19-21, as part of the team’s Banana Ball World Tour.
Here’s everything you need to know.
What are the Savannah Bananas?
The Savannah Bananas are an exhibition baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia. Think of them like the Harlem Globetrotters but for baseball. Their home games are played in Savannah, but they also travel the country, entertaining fans on their “world tour.”
The team plays their own version of the game called Banana Ball, which aims to speed the game up and make it more exciting.
The Bananas have garnered a significant social media presence, boasting more than 4.3 million Instagram followers, for posting shenanigans from their performances and cameos by the team’s owner, Jesse Cole.
When do the Savannah Bananas play in Cincinnati?
The Bananas visit Great American Ball Park for a three-night stint, June 19-21.
Who do the Savannah Bananas play in Cincinnati?
The Bananas play the Indianapolis Clowns during their three-game series in Cincinnati.
The Clowns played in the Negro Leagues in the 1930s and were around until 1989. Now they join the Loco Beach Coconuts as the newest teams in the Banana Ball Championship League for 2026, adding to the four existing teams – the Savannah Bananas, Texas Tailgaters, Party Animals and Firefighters.
What time does the Savannah Bananas game start at Great American Ball Park?
The show kicks off at 7 p.m. June 19-20 and 3 p.m. June 21.
How to watch the Savannah Bananas
The Bananas’ Cincinnati shows on June 19-20 will air on ESPN, the ESPN App, Disney+ and YouTube. The team’s Sunday game June 21 is available on YouTube, the ESPN App and Disney+.
Where to buy Savannah Bananas tickets
Tickets can be purchased on the Bananas’ Fans First Tickets app, or on resale sites, such as StubHub and SeatGeek.
What are the Savannah Bananas rules?
Bananas games feature a variety of antics: dancing umpires, players wearing kilts and more. Here are the rules of Banana Ball:
Do the Savannah Bananas always win?
No, the Bananas do not always win.
The Bananas and their opponents have a script going into each game, but that script doesn’t include the outcome of the games. The outcome is decided on the field, using an inning-winning formula that awards victory to the team that wins the most innings in a game.
Last year, the Bananas lost to the Firefighters in the playoffs and didn’t make it to the first-ever Banana Ball World Tour Championship. Instead, that title was claimed by the Party Animals, who defeated the Firefighters 4-0 in the championship game.
Savannah Bananas’ Cincinnati connections
Believe it or not, the Bananas have landed cameos by a few Cincinnati Reds legends.
Hall of Famer and former Big Red Machine great Johnny Bench appeared as the first-base coach at the Bannanas’ game at Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Florida, in April 2022.
Former Red and 2015 Home Run Derby king Todd Frazier made a surprise appearance during the Bananas’ Cincinnati debut at Great American Ball Park in 2025, followed by a special performance from Reds Hall of Fame pitcher Bronson Arroyo.
Sean Casey, a former first baseman, also shocked the crowd with an at-bat during the game.
Savannah Bananas 2026 schedule
Here are the remaining dates of the Bananas’ 2026 tour, following their Cincinnati stop. The tour began in February and runs through September.
Contributing: Kaycee Sloan & Gillian Stawiszynski, The Cincinnati Enquirer; Gabe Huari, USA TODAY.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Rules, times and all other details for Savannah Bananas in Cincy
Reporting by Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
