The Savannah Bananas, famed for their quirky game rules and massive crowds, are taking on the Firefighters at Rate Field Friday and Saturday this week.
The two-day showdown at Rate Field marks their first-ever trip to the Windy City as they tour more than a dozen Major League Baseball stadiums, playing to sold-out crowds across the country.
The Savannah Bananas play a nontraditional version of baseball, with modified rules. They call it “Banana Ball.”
Technically, Banana Ball games can last nine innings, things like teams getting three outs, batters getting four balls and three strikes, and force outs and tag outs are all the same, but there are a ton of wrinkles fans should be educated about when they step foot into a Bananas game.
For starters, the winning team isn’t determined by runs and instead is determined by points. Teams do still try to score runs, but whichever side scores runs in a given inning instead earns a point, and the team with the most points at the end of the game wins.
While games can go nine innings, the real pace of the game is determined by the clock, as games last for two hours.
To keep up that pace, batters can’t step out of the box, they can’t bunt, and there are no mound visits for pitchers.
Batters can also steal first base on wild pitches, and if they “walk,” they actually sprint around the bases as quickly as they can until all nine players on the opposing team have touched the baseball.
Fans can also get involved in the action, as any foul ball caught by a fan is considered an out, and a designated fan can challenge one call on the field per game, shooting a confetti cannon to signal that desire.
Finally, the Bananas have added a new rule known as the “Golden Batter,” which allows a team to sub out a batter at the plate for anyone in their lineup once per game.
There are currently five teams that play “Banana Ball,” with the Bananas serving as the originators of the game.
A complete guide to the Banana Ball rules can be found here.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
