Savannah Bananas: Houston's Minute Maid Park tapped to become traveling show's first MLB ballpark

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- They're more of a traveling circus than a legitimate Major League Baseball club, but boy, are they entertaining!

The Savannah Bananas, whose hijinks on the diamond drew three sold-out nights at Sugar Land's Constellation Field this past March, is heading to a bigger venue when they make their return to southeast Texas.

Houston's Minute Maid Park has been tapped not only as a first-time Banana Ball venue, but the first MLB ballpark ever to host the Harlem Globetrotters-like program.

The Bananas announced MMP's selection during a "2024 Banana Ball World Tour Draft" on Thursday. The event is set for Saturday, March 9, 2024.

Tickets aren't on sale yet. Rather, the Bananas have opened a ticket lottery page to handle the high-demand event. That's what a 500,000-person-long waitlist for this past spring's Sugar Land stop commands.

The lottery sign-up is open until Dec. 1. The Bananas advise that joining the list does not guarantee the opportunity to buy tickets. A random drawing will take place about two months before the event. And if you're selected, you'll have the opportunity to purchase tickets.

ABC13's Adam Winkler peeled back the Bananas' layers earlier this year to get a sense of what they bring to the table.

A glimpse of Adam's story on Banana Ball is in the video player above.

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

For those unfamiliar, the Bananas, who launched in 2016, are 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.

They also face off regularly with the Party Animals, a team similar to the Globetrotters' Washington Generals.

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, and potentially being interviewed while taking an ice bath.

SEE ALSO: The Savannah Bananas are bringing circus-style baseball to Sugar Land Constellation Field