When Jesse Cole created the Savannah Bananas baseball team, he wanted a way to speed up the game and make it more interesting to the casual fan — and his plan has worked to perfection.
The Bananas franchise is in its 11th season, there are now six teams that will be competing in the Banana Ball League.
Two teams – the Party Animals and the Loco Beach Coconuts – will be playing at American Family Field in Milwaukee on Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7 as part of a that will visit 75 stadiums in 45 states with 190 games among the six teams.
Here’s a look at the unique rules of Banana Ball:
Rule No. 1 of Banana Ball deals with how to score in games. Each inning is worth one point, and the team that gets the most runs in an inning earns a point for that inning, with the exception being the final inning — where every run counts.
Rule No. 2 institutes a two-hour time limit for each game. No new inning can start after the game has reached two hours.
Rule No. 3 states that the batter can’t step out of the batter’s box once he steps into his spot. If the hitter leaves the batter’s box, it’s ruled a strike.
Rule No. 4 is that there’s no bunting allowed. As the Banana Ball rules state on the team’s website: “Bunting sucks. If a hitter bunts, they are ejected from the game.”
Rule No. 5 is that batters are allowed to steal first base. This scenario can happen anytime in an at-bat when there’s a wild pitch or passed ball.
Rule No. 6 is that there are no walks allowed. When a pitcher throws a fourth ball, it becomes a sprint with the batter taking off to circle the bases while every defensive player on the field (except the pitcher and catcher) must touch the ball before it becomes live. The hitter can advance to as many bases as they want.
Rule No. 7 is that there are no mound visits from any player on the field or any coach.
Rule No. 8 is a fan favorite – if a fan catches a foul ball, it’s an out.
Rule No. 9 is called the “Showdown Tiebreaker.” From the Bananas website:
In each Showdown, the hitter must score. If they score, it’s worth one point. If they get out, it’s worth no points and it’s called a Showdown Shutdown.
In this Final Showdown, every run counts as a point. If no team has won after three Showdowns, they’ll continue with the bases loaded and one fielder until one team has won.
If at any point a home run is hit over the outfield wall, it’s a walkoff win and the game is over.
Rule No. 10 is the Banana Ball Challenge Rule. Each team has one challenge, and the coach must throw an indicator on the field before the next pitch to initiate it.
The challenge is looked at by the broadcast and replayed to the Umpire Field Chief, who makes the final call. If a team wins the challenge, they retain a challenge for later in the game. If the call is upheld or the challenge is inconclusive, they will lose their ability to challenge for the rest of the game.
Challenges can be made in three categories: Fair and foul ball calls, force and tag out calls and catches made in the infield and outfield.
Fans are also allowed to make a “Fan Challenge” once per game. Before the game, a fan is selected to represent the crowd. The fan representative shoots off confetti and holds up the “Fan Challenge” sign to make it official and then the process begins.
Rule No. 11 is the “Golden Batter Rule,” which was put in place to allowed teams to get their best hitter to bat at any time in the game.
Examples from the Bananas Team Website:
Due up in the lineup are hitters 6, 7 and 8 and 6 and 7 make the first two outs. The team then uses the Golden Batter Rule to hit their No. 3 hitter in the 8-hole. The No. 3 hitter reaches base. The 8-hole would stay in the game, but he would not hit. The next hitter is the 9-hole. If the No. 3 hitter was on base and his spot in the lineup came to bat, then the No. 8 hitter would become the pinch runner. Also, if eligible, the Designated Pinch Runner could run. The Golden Batter could technically hit back-to-back in one inning if the team chose to do so.
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The rules of Banana Ball; what fans need to know for AmFam Field games
Reporting by Dennis Knight, Savannah Morning News / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dennis Knight, Savannah Morning News | USA TODAY Network
