So that was fun. And, a lot of it.
The Party Animals played the Loco Beach Coconuts at American Family Field on Saturday, June 6. The Coconuts defeated the 2025 Banana Ball World Tour champs, 4-2.
For many, the party started on the ballpark’s plaza five hours before the 7 p.m. game time. Out there, players signed autographs and took pictures with ticketholders; fans joined a long, like really long, conga line; and there was an entertainment stage.
At Banana Ball Backstage, a VIP game-day experience, players did meet-and-greets with fans on the dirt of the infield. When Jesse Cole – creator of Banana Ball and founder of Fans First Entertainment – showed up in his signature yellow tux, fans went, well, bananas.
When it came to the game itself, your brain kept shifting between locking in and getting lost in the music. The atmosphere was giving nonstop dance party – when game action was going on, too. The ump even got in on it. Doing the splits to T-Pain’s “Booty Wurk,” for example. The soundtrack made it hard not to want to move it, move it.
Here were some of the highlights from Banana Ball’s official Milwaukee debut, including Cole calling this “the loudest crowd we’ve ever had in Banana Ball history.”
1. Wisconsin’s Brady Kais on the mound
The starting pitcher for the Party Animals on June 6 was none other than Wisconsin native and Brewers fan Brady Kais, who repped the Crew with a blue headband that was holding back his flow.
Just a couple batters in, “I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5 came on. Cue: A dance break for Kais and his teammates, which led to his pitch. Not long after, with runners on first and third, the Animals made a double play to get out of the first inning of the game.
2. Jesse Cole called Milwaukee crowd ‘loudest’ in Banana Ball history
Following the game, Cole addressed the crowd:
“We have been very fortunate the over last few years to travel around the country. We’ve seen a lot of crowds. And, I’ve got to tell you, this was the loudest crowd we’ve ever had in Banana Ball history.”
This also marked the first MLB stadium sell-out with the Party Animals headlining. It was said during the game that 41,000 people were in attendance.
“When we started this, we had one goal: To make baseball fun. And, to see you guys come together, to see you bring the fun, to bring the energy,” Cole told the crowd. “The world needs more fun right now. You brought it here tonight.”
During the game, Cole also led fans in the league’s tradition of “Hey Baby.” And, surprised the audience, when he introduced a longtime former Brewer up to bat.
3. Cameo from former Milwaukee Brewer Geoff Jenkins
Jenkins, one of the top sluggers in Brewers’ history, got an at-bat for the Party Animals. While he struck out swinging, the crowd showed him lots of love.
Jenkins played 10 seasons for the Brewers before finishing his career with Philadelphia in 2008. He batted .277 with 212 home runs and 704 runs batted in over 1,234 games with Milwaukee, with a .496 slugging percentage, 1,221 hits and 661 runs. He was inducted into the Crew’s Walk of Fame in 2018.
While we’re talking cameos, “tarps off” made one, too, being shown on the jumbotron a couple of times.
4. Core memories created?
5. For the adults, too
First chug of the night: Before the game started, there was a Wisconsin-off of sorts. Two men took to the field to see who could chug a … root beer the fastest. The guys had to chug it on one knee, then crush the can on their heads. The winner not only got to throw the crushed can like a ball to the catcher behind home plate, but also was named fan challenge representative – judge robe and all. There was more chugging later featuring Party Animal Dustin Baber, along with several adult fans around him, leading up to his at-bat.
First date race: During a break in the action, two couples on first dates raced around the bases … but there was, of course, a catch. The women had to run and jump into the arms of their dates, who were awaiting them at first base. The fellas then carried their dates to second, where they all chugged drinks, then separately sprinted to third. As the men carried the women from third to home, water guns sprayed them. Each couple may or may not have taken a tumble along the way. Guess that’s one way to break the ice.
Other memorable moments:
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee ‘loudest’ crowd in Banana Ball history, and other highlights
Reporting by Hannah Kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Hannah Kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
