Black Athletes in the Spotlight: HBCU Sports & Local Highlights
- When: Friday, Sept. 25 to Saturday, Sept. 26 at Progressive Field; first pitch 7 p.m. ET both nights.
- Matchup: Party Animals vs Indianapolis Clowns.
- Watch: 7 p.m. ET both nights; Saturday on DirecTV; stream via Party Animals YouTube; Saturday also on Prime Video, Fubo, Stadium, Bally Sports.
- Tickets: Official site lists both games sold out; resales exist. StubHub shows about 2 percent left for Sept. 26. Try Fans First Ticket Marketplace.
- Rules highlights: Two-Hour Time Limit, no bunting, no stepping out, Fan Catch Out, Ball-Four Sprint, Showdown tiebreaker.
Sept. 23, 2026, 5:41 a.m. ET
This isn’t your grandfather’s pastime.
Banana Ball, the popular exhibition-style baseball league, is coming to Northeast Ohio this week as the Cleveland Guardians are away in Kansas City, Missouri.
Here’s what to know as Banana Ball returns to Ohio:
Banana Ball in Cleveland schedule
- When: Friday, Sept. 25 to Saturday, Sept. 26
- Where: Progressive Field, Cleveland
- First pitch: 7 p.m. ET, both Friday and Saturday
- Matchup: Party Animals vs. Indianapolis Clowns
Where to watch Banana Ball in Ohio
- Time: 7 p.m. ET, both Friday and Saturday.
- Channel: DirecTV (Saturday), N/A for Friday.
- Streaming: Party Animals YouTube page (both games); for Saturday, Prime Video, Fubo, Stadium, and the Bally Sports live app.
Are Banana Ball tickets still available?
While the Banana Ball website lists both games as “sold out,” some sites are still offering tickets. On StubHub for the Sept. 26 game, there are only 2% of tickets left.
There is also a fan ticket portal, Fans First Ticket Marketplace, which acts as a face-value secondary marketplace.
What is Banana Ball?
Banana Ball is a new take on the sport of baseball with rule changes and spectacles to boost engagement.
Notable differences include a two-hour time limit. Other rules differing from baseball include prohibiting bunting, stepping out of the batter’s box between pitches and every inning counting.
What are the Banana Ball rules?
- Every Inning Counts: Each inning is worth one point. The team with more runs in that inning gets the point. In the final inning, each run equals a point.
- Two-Hour Time Limit: Each game lasts two hours and no new inning can start after an hour and 50 minutes.
- No Stepping Out: Batters must remain in the batter’s box or be assessed a strike. It keeps things moving.
- No Bunting: No bunts. A bunt warrants an ejection.
- Batters Can Steal First: A batter can reach first base without hitting the ball. This is allowed if a catcher drops a pitch or the ball gets away.
- The Ball-Four Sprint: There are no walks. If a pitcher throws ball four, the batter begins a Ball-Four Sprint, whereas the batter runs immediately, the ball becomes dead, the seven infielders must touch the ball in sequence and only after they’ve touched the ball does the play become live again. (That usually allows the batter to reach second base.)
- No Mound Visits: Coaches aren’t allowed to visit the pitcher on the mound.
- Fan Catch Out: The most famous Banana Ball rule deems batters out if a fan catches their foul ball in the stands. (Bring a glove.)
- Showdown Tiebreaker: In the event of a tie game, there are no extra innings. Instead, there’s a three-round Showdown. In Round 1, a hitter tries to score. The defense has a pitcher, catcher and fielders. In Round 2, only the pitcher and catcher defend. In Round 3, the bases are loaded and every round scored equals one point. The teams continue until one wins.
- The Golden Batter Rule: A team can send any hitter in the lineup up to bat at any time. This is called the Golden Batter.
- Pitchers Must Finish the Inning: Pitchers getting shelled aren’t allowed to be swapped out during an inning. This keeps things moving.
- Fan Challenges: The crowd can challenge one umpire call per game via a review.
- Equalizer Point: If the road team has more trick plays than the home team going into the final inning, they will receive a point.
Banana Ball teams 2026
The Banana Ball league expanded this year from four to six teams. The lineup includes:
- Savannah Bananas
- Party Animals
- Firefighters
- Texas Tailgaters
- Indianapolis Clowns
- Loco Beach Coconuts
Will the Savannah Bananas be in town?
Unfortunately, the fan-favorite Savannah Bananas won’t be stopping in Cleveland. Earlier this year, in late June, the team stopped in Cincinnati and played at Great American Ball Park.
Includes reporting from USA TODAY staff writer Ahmed Jawadi.
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