Banana Ball is making its way back to the home of the Atlanta Braves, Truist Park. The Savannah Bananas are scheduled to play multiple games between May 8 and May 10. The Bananas will take on their classic opponent, the Party Animals.
The trip lines up with the Braves being out west in Los Angeles. They’ll be playing a three-game series against the Dodgers. While the Braves are out, another team will be in town to help bridge the gap for the weekend.
Truist Park will be one of the 14 Major League ballparks and 10 football stadiums that are scheduled to be part of the new world tour. Fans can enter a lottery on the Bananas website.
The last time the Bananas came to town was March 2025. A highlight of that trip was a guest appearance by former utility man Charlie Culberson. We’ll have to wait and see who the guest star is this time around.
A fitting option, if he’s permitted to participate, is prospect reliever Hayden Harris. He played for the Bananas before they became the barnstorming phenomenon in 2021. At the time, they were part of a wooden bat summer ball league.
It’s not like Harris is unfamiliar with Truist Park either. The Georgia Southern grad has already pitched in the Majors and also appeared in the All-Star Futures Game in Atlanta.
However, it’s more likely they pick a retired player, also from Georgia, like they did last time. Culberson’s last appearance in the Majors came back in 2023.
For those who might not be able to make it to Truist Park and The Battery, there will be some other stops in Braves Country. There will be a preseason opener in Charleston, SC. For the regular season, there will be games in Savannah, naturally, as well as Memphis, Knoxville, Montgomery, Auburn, Greenville and New Orleans.
If you really want to stretch it, though, this is arguably more Reds territory, they’re going to be playing in Morgantown, West Virginia.
However, at other stops, you’re not guaranteed to see the Bananas. Nowadays, the barnstorming tour includes six teams. Along with the Bananas and Party Animals, you could see the Texas Tailgators, Firefighters, the Loco Beach Coconuts and the Indianapolis Clowns. The last one is named after the old Negro League barnstorming team that featured stars, such as Braves legend Hank Aaron, before they reached the Major Leagues.
