Black Athletes in the Spotlight: HBCU Sports & Local Highlights
- Teams emphasize theatrics: Party Animals' quirky uniforms and Clowns choreography set a fun, high-energy tone.
- Unique rules: each inning equals one point; last inning counts runs; bunting banned; fan-caught foul counts as an out.
- Every game counts toward the Banana Bowl playoffs; Golden Batter Rule and the Trick Play Equalizer Point affect scoring.
- Pre-game at Gateway Plaza features dance parties, scavenger hunts, and early gates drawing lively crowds.
Updated Sept. 25, 2026, 7:22 p.m. ET
CLEVELAND – The Banana Ball world tour has arrived in Cleveland.
The Party Animals and Indianapolis Clowns are set to play two games at Progressive Field, Friday Sept. 25 and Saturday Sept 26. Both teams are about of Banana Ball, made famous by the Savannah Bananas, a league that now includes six teams.
The league has recently exploded in popularity as an alternative, higher-energy version of baseball that combines America’s pastime with a Harlem Globetrotters flair.
The Guardians clinched their spot in the playoffs Sept. 24 in Boston. Similar scenarios are playing out in Banana Ball, as the Clowns and Party Animals are both fighting for playoff spots this weekend.
Here’s a look at all the festivities around the ballpark as Banana Ball takes over the home of the Guardians. And if you’re going to the game Sept. 26, here’s what to expect.
Banana Ball at Progressive Field between Clowns, Party Animals
The Party Animals’ starting pitcher, Garrett Delano, is wearing number 777, a cowboy hat and shorts as the game begins. That’ll set the tone of the night.
In the first inning, the Clowns scored one run in the top of the first, which led to an inning-winning, two-run double by the Party Animals. It’s a walk-off, of sorts, but only for one point.
Clowns, Party Animals prepare to take the field
The Clowns warmed up with some choreography on the field.
Banana Ball pre-game party in Gateway Plaza with Party Animals, Clowns
Gates open 2.5 hours before start of the game, and Banana Ball fans were flooding into the ballpark.
Activities on the field before the game include a dance party and a scavenger hunt.
What is Banana Ball?
Banana Ball combines many of the traditional rules of baseball but with a few twists, as they follow their own rule book and value trick plays and other fun elements to America’s pastime.
Each game does count toward the Banana Bowl playoffs, but it has more of a feel of a fun minor league event.
- Every inning is worth one inning. Whichever team gets the most runs in that inning is warded a point. However, in the last inning, every run counts.
- There is a two-hour limit, so a new inning cannot be started after that about of time.
- Bunting is disallowed. In fact, if any hitter bunts, they are ejected.
- In the event of a wild pitch or passed ball, a hitter can steal first base.
- There are no walks. Instead, in the event of a ball four, the hitter can run around the bases and the ball is live until every defender touches the baseball.
- Perhaps the most fun rule: if a fan catches a foul ball, it counts as an out (but there can’t be any bobbles or juggles).
- The Golden Batter Rule: once per game, each team may send any hitter they want to the plate at any point in time.
- The Trick Play Equalizer Point tracks how many trick plays can be successfully completed by both teams. If the visiting team collects more trick players than the home team entering the final inning, they will earn an extra point for their total.
- Ten hitters are in each lineup, including a DH and an extra hitter.
Ryan Lewis covers the Guardians and Cavaliers for the Beacon Journal. He can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com.
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