Review: The Savannah Bananas BANANA BALL at Yankee Stadium was Truly Bananas

The Savannah Bananas took on the Party Animals at the Banana Ball World Tour stop at Yankee Stadium on April 26, turning one of baseball’s most iconic venues into something completely different. This wasn’t a typical night at the ballpark. It was a full-scale production built around Banana Ball, a fast-moving, entertainment-first version of the sport that blends competition with performance in a way that constantly pulls your attention in different directions.

Banana Ball is baseball adjacent in the best way. The game runs on a strict two hour clock, and once time is up, whatever inning you are in becomes the final one. Instead of a traditional scoreboard, each inning is worth a single point, awarded to whichever team scores more runs in that inning. The exception comes in the final inning, where every run counts individually and can swing the outcome dramatically. If things somehow end in a tie, it comes down to which team completed more trick plays, adding another layer of chaos and creativity to the structure.

The energy started well before the teams ever touched the field. Around 2 pm, the pre-pre show kicked off with host Matt Grafer, known as the Young Professor, leading a series of crowd games that immediately set the tone. The “feet pics game” had fans identifying cartoon characters based only on their feet, which somehow became intensely competitive. Banana Ball trivia followed, determining a fan representative, and then things escalated with banana toss, where bananas were thrown from the upper level of Yankee Stadium toward someone on the field trying to catch them in their pants. It was ridiculous, loud, and exactly what the crowd signed up for.

The pre-show kept that momentum going. The Party Animals Band, Party Down, brought live music into the mix, while the Dad Bod Cheer Squad for the Savannah Bananas got the crowd fully on their side. Then things shifted into something closer to a concert spectacle when Broadway’s Derek Klena and Princess Potassia performed a Banana Ball themed version of “Bop to the Top” from High School Musical. It leaned into the absurdity while still feeling polished, which is a balance this entire event handled surprisingly well.

When it came time for the teams to enter, both sides made it an event. The Savannah Bananas took the field to “Something Big” by Shawn Mendes with a full group number that felt more like a staged production than a sports entrance. The Party Animals followed with “Everybody Dance” Now, matching that same level of energy and immediately setting up the rivalry as something playful but still competitive.

The game itself kicked off quickly. In the first inning, the Party Animals struck first with Reece Hampton putting them on the board, followed soon after by Mike Smith extending the lead. The Bananas responded in the bottom half with Reese Alexiades scoring their first run. Right after that moment, the field turned into a stage again as the cast of 11 to Midnight rushed out to perform alongside the Bananas, blending gameplay and performance mid-inning. Even with that interruption, the Party Animals secured the inning and the first point.

Innings two and three were scoreless, but that didn’t mean things slowed down. Between innings, the spotlight shifted to Banana Fosters, the organization’s nonprofit arm, giving the event a brief but meaningful pause. Then the tone flipped again when mascots Pharty and Splits got into a staged fight that escalated just enough before being broken up by a surprise appearance from Ben Platt, who launched into The “Winner Takes It All.” It was one of those moments that felt completely unpredictable but somehow still on brand.

The fourth inning brought the game back into focus, with the Party Animals scoring one run to take another point. That inning also featured a crossover moment as Matte Martinez, currently playing Michael Jackson in MJ the Musical, joined Savannah Banana KJ Jackson and choreographer Maceo to perform “Billie Jean.” It was a clean fusion of theatrical precision and on-field charisma that kept the crowd locked in.

In the fifth inning, TJ Reeves hit the first home run for the Party Animals, giving them another edge. The Bananas responded by bringing out Kelsie Whitmore, the number one women’s baseball draft pick, to pitch, adding another layer of spectacle. Then in the bottom half, Russell Wilson stepped in to bat for the Bananas, which drew one of the loudest reactions of the night. Even with those moments, the Party Animals secured the inning, pushing the score to 3 to 0.

The sixth inning continued in that direction. Tanner Thomas added another run for the Party Animals. Between halves, the entertainment shifted again with a musical genre roulette battle between Party Down’s lead singer Jenane and Derek Klena. Jenane performed Ain’t No Sunshine in the style of opera, while Klena took on Dancing Through Life from Wicked in a country style. The crowd gave the win to Klena, and by the end of the inning, the Party Animals held a 4 to 0 lead.

The seventh inning leaned more heavily into the actual game, but it still delivered one of the most balanced stretches of the night. Michael Ballard and TJ Reeves added runs for the Party Animals, while the Bananas finally broke through with three runs from Bryce Grizzaffi, KJ Jackson, and Connor Harris. That effort earned them their first point, shifting the overall score to 4 to 1 and giving the Bananas a real moment of momentum.

As the clock hit two hours during the eighth inning, it officially became the final frame, meaning every run counted individually. The Party Animals capitalized immediately with runs from Bronson Balholm, Dustin Baber, and Chase Achuff. The Bananas tried to answer by bringing out Yankees legend Tino Martinez, but they couldn’t convert that into runs. The pressure of the final inning format made every at-bat feel sharper, even as the entertainment elements continued around it.

By the end of the night, the Party Animals closed it out with a 7 to 1 win over the Savannah Bananas. But the score almost felt secondary to the experience itself. Banana Ball at Yankee Stadium turned a game into something closer to a full production, constantly shifting between sport, concert, and live theater. It never sat still long enough to feel predictable, and that unpredictability is what made it work. Even in a venue built for tradition, this felt like something entirely its own.