WORCESTER, MA — The Worcester Red Sox announced tonight that the nationwide phenomenon, “Banana Ball,” will play two games at Polar Park for the first time on Friday, July 30, and Saturday, July 31, 2027. Fans can enter the ticket lottery now through 11:59 p.m. October 31 at bananaball.com.
The contest will feature two of the six teams in the Banana Ball Championship League: the Firefighters and the Texas Tailgaters, who defeated the Savannah Bananas 2–1 to win the inaugural Banana Bowl Championship on October 10, 2026, at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.
A random drawing will take place before the event, and lucky fans will be contacted directly by Banana Ball via email with directions to purchase available tickets.
Standard tickets start at $35 with Meet & Greet tickets starting at $125. Single game tickets can only be purchased at bananaball.com. For group and hospitality information, visit polarpark.com.
Banana Ball is a fast-paced, entertainment-first baseball variant invented in 2018 by the Savannah Bananas, formerly of the Coastal Plain League, a premier wood-bat collegiate summer baseball league in the Southeastern United States.
In 2026, the Banana Ball Championship League (BBCL) officially launched with a full six-team roster: the Savannah Bananas, Party Animals, Firefighters, Texas Tailgaters, Loco Beach Coconuts, and Indianapolis Clowns.
The barnstorming professional baseball league replaces traditional rules with a strict two-hour time limit and action-packed twists. Unique rules include no walks, no bunting or mound visits, point-per-inning scoring, one “golden batter” per team per game, the opportunity for fans to record outs by catching foul balls in the stands, and a one-on-one “showdown” tiebreaker.
The 2026 BBCL schedule included 190 games across 75 stadiums/ballparks and 45 states, with attendance topping 3 million fans. Banana Ball boasts more than 35 million social media followers, and all games are streamed for free on YouTube, ESPN, and Disney+.
The concept was conceived on November 2, 2018, when the Savannah Bananas played an experimental alternate-rules game against Lander University, and it materialized in June 2020, when the first official Banana Ball game was held at historic Grayson Stadium in Savannah, GA.
The Firefighters, the third Banana Ball team in the BBCL, roll into the ballpark on a fire truck, climb ladders with ease, and bring serious heat each time they hit the field. The Firefighters are dedicated to bringing honor to the name, with former firefighter Valerie Perez at the helm. In their 2024 inaugural season, the Firefighters played in seven cities across the country.
The Texas Tailgaters, the fourth Banana Ball team in the BBCL, are all about bringing the tailgate to the ballpark, country music, big personalities, line dances, and representing Texas. In their 2025 inaugural season, the Texas Tailgaters played in Minor League Baseball and Major League Baseball ballparks across the country and headlined their own Texas tour across Frisco, San Antonio, and Round Rock.
To learn more about Banana Ball, the Texas Tailgaters, or the Firefighters, visit bananaball.com.