Savannah Bananas in Sugar Land are a hot ticket: More than 500,000 on waitlist

SUGAR LAND, Texas (KTRK) -- Banana Ball is coming to Sugar Land, and it's going to be bananas.

"The outpour from Texas was insane," Zack Frongillo, director of entertainment for the world-famous Savannah Bananas," told ABC13 via Zoom. "We realized that obviously Texas is massive, but I don't think we understood how many Banana fans were truly in Texas."

After originally announcing one date in Sugar Land during their 33-city tour, the Bananas added two more games at Sugar Land's Constellation Field, home of the Space Cowboys, due to high demand. They're scheduled to play March 16-18.

The company, which was launched in 2016, is not an average baseball team. They bring a different take on the sport by not only playing baseball but also being the entertainment, only they don't play by the rules.

The team plays under their own rules of "Banana Ball." The game will go on for two hours, tiebreakers are broken through a one-on-one showdown, if a fan catches a foul ball, it will be an out, and more.

Frongillo said the waiting list for tickets features 500,000 fans.

"There are people that are paying three, four, five or six times face value just to get into the ballpark to see your product," Frongillo noted. "That obviously comes with a little bit of pressure, but we're going to be trying things that people have never seen on a baseball field every single night, and that's something that'll never change. So that alone gives me the confidence to walk into any one of these stadiums and say, 'We are going to give these fans the best possible show that we can.'"

Frongillo knows many Houston-area residents are disappointed they won't be able to see Banana Ball in-person while the team is in town.

"I hope, first and foremost, that you understand why this is," he said. "I wish I could build a ballpark and bring you guys all there, and we could all have fun together. But that's just not the reality of what's going on here. But thank you to those fans - thank you for wanting to be a part of this. I hope that in the future, we can get you to a game, and we can get you in the doors. Please watch us online, watch the streams and engage with us on social media."

The Savannah Bananas will be playing the Party Animals during their games at Constellation Field - a team created by the Savannah Bananas to compete at a high level while also participating in the circus-style presentation.

The Savannah Bananas and Party Animals rosters are filled out by professional independent players. In 2022, former Houston Astros outfielder Josh Reddick, along with fellow former major leaguers Jake Peavy, Jonathan Papelbon, Jonny Gomes, Bill Lee, and Johnny Bench, all joined the tour.

Attendees may see players perform fully-choreographed country line dances in celebration of making the team, making a score from watching post-game interviews of players, potentially being interviewed while taking an ice bath.

"The Savannah Bananas have established themselves as a premier baseball entertainment product and it's been exciting to watch their progress over the years," Space Cowboys general manager Tyler Stamm said.

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