'Banana Ball' Goes Big League at Truist Park

From the moment the gates opened, Banana Nation fans turned Truist Park into a sea of yellow. Many came decked out in banana costumes, kilts, and cowboy hats – the quirkier, the better. This was no ordinary ballgame; it was a two-day carnival of baseball meets circus. The Savannah Bananas, known as “the greatest show in sports”, were making their first-ever appearance at the Atlanta Braves’ home, and they transformed the usually serious MLB stadium into a high-energy playground. Music pounded from the speakers, fans danced in the aisles, and the party started well before first pitch. By 6:30 p.m., when the Bananas took the field, the atmosphere felt more like a college football kickoff than a spring exhibition – pure electric anticipation.

Leading the charge was first base coach Maceo Harrison, the Bananas’ resident dance maestro, who made a dramatic, acrobatic entrance that left jaws on the floor. In a stunt that was equal parts WWE and Broadway, Harrison sprinted out of the dugout and launched into a series of backflips and handsprings down the baseline. Each flip sent the crowd into a louder frenzy. By the time he stuck the landing – arms raised triumphantly after his “flipping” incredible entrance – Truist Park was shaking with cheers. 

The tone was set: this wasn’t just a ballgame, it was a full-on show. The Bananas’ opponent (and mischievous counterpart), the Party Animals, boogied out behind him, and even Braves mascot Blooper was spotted grinning and grooving on top of the dugout. Atlanta had never seen baseball quite like this, and they were loving it.

Amid the dance routines and trick plays, some of the most unforgettable moments came in the form of tender video messages from players’ mothers. In a special twist for the Atlanta stop, the Bananas surprised their Georgia-born players with prerecorded pep talks from Mom played on the big screen before each player’s first at-bat. These weren’t just quick hellos – each mom also got to choose a custom walk-up song for her son, resulting in a mix of cheers and misty eyes all around the ballpark.

One by one, as local favorites stepped into the batter’s box, their moms’ faces lit up the scoreboard. Jake Skole, a Roswell native, couldn’t contain his smile when his mother’s voice rang out with an old inside joke and a dose of encouragement. “I think it was ‘The Devil Went Down to Georgia,’” one mom quipped with a knowing grin, cueing the Charlie Daniels Band’s fiery fiddle intro to blast over the loudspeakers. 

The crowd whooped as her son cracked up laughing – nothing like a little classic Southern rock to settle the nerves. For another player, his mom picked a sentimental country tune: “My Maria” by Brooks & Dunn became an arena anthem as his mother’s message – “Love you. Have fun!” – turned the burly ballplayer’s knees to jelly. He stepped out of the batter’s box, playfully wiped a pretend tear under his eye-black, and gave a heartfelt tip of the helmet toward the press box where he hoped Mom was watching.

These heartfelt cameos struck a chord with everyone in attendance. Lifelong Braves fans in the stands found themselves cheering for these young men as if they were their own sons. Many of those players grew up in Georgia dreaming of playing on that very field, and now here they were in bright yellow uniforms, living out those dreams in the most unexpected way. 

“Everything happens for a reason,” one mom reminded her son, marveling at how fate had brought him to a big-league stadium via Banana Ball. The players weren’t the only ones choking up – fans dabbed their eyes, and even a few Banana team members on the dugout rail got a little misty before breaking into wide grins and group hugs. In a weekend filled with hijinks, these mom moments provided the emotional soul of the show. As one Bananas fan in a cowboy hat was overheard saying, “We came for the laughs, but darn if we didn’t also catch some feelings.”

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Bananas game without dancing at every turn, and Atlanta got all it could handle. Between innings, the Bananas’ pep band cranked out upbeat sing-alongs – everything from Bruno Mars to classic country – while players from both teams did coordinated line dances on the infield dirt. 

At one point, the entire infield turned into a makeshift dance floor for a lively rendition of the “Cha-Cha Slide,” with umpires and even security guards joining in to the delight of the crowd. The Party Animals players (decked in their neon-pink uniforms) traded dance battles with the Bananas in yellow, proving that everybody at Banana Ball is an entertainer. It was baseball’s answer to a block party, and nowhere was that more evident than when a very special performer took the spotlight: a young man named Brandon.

Brandon is a 17-year-old from Woodstock, Georgia, with special needs – and an obsession with the Savannah Bananas. Through a local sports-dream foundation, Brandon’s wish to be part of the Bananas for a day was coming true. Dubbed the team’s “newest teammate” and instant best friend, Brandon spent the weekend on the field and quickly became the heart of the show. 

During Saturday night’s game, he burst onto the scene during a mid-inning break, joining the Bananas’ choreographed dance crew in front of the pitcher’s mound. Music from Disney’s The Princess and the Frog swelled through the ballpark (one of Brandon’s favorite tunes), and he showed off some slick moves – a spin, a shimmy, and even the splits – that had the crowd roaring with approval. Players circled around hyping him up, and by the end of the song, 40,000 people were on their feet for a standing ovation as Brandon pumped his fists in triumph.

“Bran-don! Bran-don!” the fans chanted, as the ecstatic teen broke out his biggest grin. He high-fived Bananas owner Jesse Cole (resplendent in his trademark yellow tuxedo) and chest-bumped a Party Animals player twice his size. In a show filled with professional tricksters, it was this young superfan who stole the audience’s hearts. Brandon spent the rest of the game in the dugout, dancing on the top step every time the band played a new song, and even leading the crowd in a goofy version of the Macarena between innings. 

The Bananas players embraced him as one of their own – during the “Hey Baby” dance (a Bananas tradition), Brandon took center stage, flanked by players kneeling and swaying as his backup crew. It was pure, unfiltered joy. For a few minutes, a Major League stadium felt like a family backyard party, with a kid who loves baseball at the middle of it all. If you looked around, you could see even the hard-nosed Braves security personnel smiling and tapping their toes.