Banana Ball is Headed to Sacramento, Las Vegas and Midland in 2026

Banana Ball will be heading to Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento for the third time, when the Party Animals take on the Texas Tailgaters in March of 2026. Banana Ball is the form of baseball that has been popularized by the Savannah Bananas across the nation, but as the league has expanded to six teams, the sport itself becoming more of the attraction, rather than a specific team.

In the league, the Bananas are the New York Yankees or Los Angeles Dodgers, but the Party Animals are their long-time rival, that served as a version of the Washington Generals to Savannah's Globetrotters.

The entire appeal of the sport is that is doesn't take itself too seriously. Instead of worrying about how many RPMs a fastball has, or what the break on the pitch is looking like, the takeaways for fans are the backflip catches and dances in between pitches.

The first rule of Banana Ball is a great twist on the game, and it gives a sort of extra innings feel: Every inning is worth one point. The team that gets the most runs in an inning, gets a point for that inning, except for the last inning, where every run counts.

There's also rules that prohibit bunting, allow steals of first, and make it so that if a fan catches a foul ball, it counts as an out. This is an experience, and folks in Sacramento should certainly try to take a game in before the start of the A's and River Cats' seasons.

In addition to Sutter Health Park, the A's Triple-A Las Vegas affiliate, along with the Double-A Midland affiliate will also be hosting some Banana Ball action of their own. The Party Animals will be taking on the expansion Loco Beach Coconuts at Las Vegas Ballpark on April 30- May 2. Midland will host the Party Animals as they take on the Tailgaters from July 2-4.

Below is the full press release sent out by the River Cats on the event, including how to acquire individual game tickets.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Sutter Health Park serves as home for both the Sacramento River Cats and the Athletics, and for two nights in March 2026 will also serve as host for a pair of Banana Ball contests between the Party Animals and Texas Tailgaters. 

As announced in the Banana Ball Selection Show on Oct. 9, the Party Animals have chosen Sacramento and Sutter Health Park as the home of their two-game series in 2026 on Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21. This will be the third year the Party Animals play in West Sacramento and the first visit for the Texas Tailgaters.

To acquire individual tickets, join the Ticket Lottery List at bananaball.com  before it closes on Oct. 31. A random drawing will take place before the event for the chance to purchase available tickets, and, if selected, fans will have the opportunity to purchase following a verification process. For the complete schedule and opportunity for tickets, visit bananaball.com/tickets.

If interested in booking a suite or hospitality space for either contest, fans can join the Sutter Health Park waitlist. A Sutter Health Park ticket representative will reach out to discuss available tickets while hospitality inventory remains. Athletics and River Cats season ticket members have first access to purchase suite and hospitality tickets, and will be contacted by their membership representatives with further information. 

The exciting brand of baseball originally made famous by the Savannah Bananas is dubbed “Banana Ball,” a fast-paced, action-packed style of baseball with rules that include no bunting, a two-hour time limit, and fans catching foul balls for outs. Learn more about the unique experience here, and discover the origins of the Party Animals and the Texas Tailgaters.