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The Top Eight Moments from Daytona Beach and Banana Fest

Written by Biko Skalla:

It was a magical return to Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach, Florida, the first stop outside of Savannah on last year’s tour which made it only the third city to ever host a Banana Ball game. The 109-year-old stadium situated literally in the middle of the Halifax River saw the Party Animals take down the Bananas 5-4 and 4-2, giving them their first three-game winning streak in team history. Then we shipped back to Grayson Stadium for the seven-year anniversary of the announcement that Savannah’s new baseball team would be named the Bananas. It was an incredibly emotional and memorable night back in our 97-year-old ballpark. A spring chicken compared to The Jack! I’ve narrowed down everything that happened across the last three Banana Ball games to the eight most important “moments.” Many of my moments are made up of many moments but it’s really the only way I can make this thing happen. So without further ado, awayyyyy we go!

The Bananas Turn the Ripe Age of Seven

Happy seven year birthday to us! Crazy that we’ve just turned one in dog years. We decided to celebrate the occasion by inviting over 4,000 of our best friends and handed out 2,500 banana costumes. The result was us shattering the world record for most people in banana costumes at one time. Sorry to the previous record holder, which was… let me just check my notes here… Oh right it was the Savannah Bananas less than a year ago. Take that… Savannah Bananas? Well anyhow, now we have the most ever and the second most ever. We’re coming for all of the top three spots next year! Here are some of the sights and scenes from the record breaking night…

When it came to the ballgame, the Party Animals stayed red hot winning the first two innings before Dan Oberst hit a baseball probably as far as I have ever seen…

Forget 400 feet, my eyes tell me that it went 723 feet. Minimum.

The Party Animals immediately fired back, winning the fourth inning. After three scoreless frames in a row jam packed with trick plays (more on that in a bit), the Animals were looking to take a commanding 4-1 lead after scoring twice in the top of the 8th. Dakota McFadden had other plans…

The Bananas were down to their final strike in the bottom of the 9th but the Prince of Bananaland was there to save the day…

For the second time on the tour we went to Tiebreaker Showdowns! A momentous night in Bananaland would have a historic ending…

I literally laughed out loud when I typed out the tweet. The irony had not struck me until that moment.

Johnny Damon Plays for the Bananas

Yeah, yeah, yeah, another Red Sox legend has played for us. We’ve got the outfield taken care of now for the Sox alumni team with Damon in center, Josh Reddick in right, and Johnny Gomes in left. Our pitching is looking good too with Jake Peavy on the mound, Bill Lee first out of the pen and Jonathan Papelbon coming in as the closer. Now we just need to fill out the infield and we’ll really be ready to rumble…

Heck of a moment right there. I mean the stance is still exactly the same. Johnny hopped up in the booth for a few innings with me too which was pretty surreal. I promise this is not the last time you see Damon in a Bananas uniform.

Trick Plays Galore!

Whoever’s been driving the trick play bus not only slammed on the gas but I think they also tossed some nitrous oxide in the tank because the boys started ripping them off at an alarming rate over the past three games…

This puppy from DR took the world by storm. He was back at his nonsense during Banana Fest!

Here’s a collection of most (but surprisingly not all) of the trick plays over the past three games…

Home Run Derby to Decide Who is the Home Team

For the first time in Bananas history the Party Animals could have been the home team. That is if Jake Skole could have defeated Dan Oberst in a Bananafied home run derby. And Skole was beating Dan until there were five seconds left and Mr. Oberst went full Mario Baseball Star Swing mode…

We’ll have more of these as we continue to travel around the country. I personally cannot wait for when the Party Animals get the opportunity to walk-off innings.

The Worst Shift in Banana Ball History

Kyle’s explanation: “I knew I was coming out after this inning and once I got two quick outs I knew it was the best opportunity to try it. That was of course until I turned around and saw Reece in the box. That was literally the last person I would ever try this against. I really more than anything wanted to tell my guys to go back to their positions but it was too late, and the rest is history.”

It’s Dalton Cornett’s World, We’re Just Living in it

The Party Animals’ switch-hitting catcher is off to a torrid start to the tour. With five games in the books he’s 9-17, with 2 HR, 4 2B, 4 RBI, 6 runs scored, and 4 ball-four-sprints. He’s also only struck out once. Here’s some of the damage he’s done…

Jason Swan and Ryan Cox Were Both a Home Run Away from the Cycle in the Same Game!

Not to mention that they were both at the bottom of their team’s batting orders! This is officially the first time two guys hitting in the 10-hole both were a homer away from cycles in the same Banana Ball game. And probably the last…

If You Only Have 50 Seconds to Explain Banana Ball to Somebody, Here’s a Handy Video That’s up to the Task

Five games in the books, 82 to go! The fun is only just beginning. Current team records:

Bananas: 1-3-1

Party Animals: 3-1-1

We’ve got a few days off to rest and recuperate and then we’ll be back in action on Thursday night in Savannah!

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