Savannah Bananas baseball team sells out to South Bay crowd
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- A sellout crowd packed Excite Ballpark in San Jose to watch an entertaining baseball team called the Savannah Bananas.
The best way to describe them is the Harlem Globetrotters for baseball.
The team started in 2016 as a college baseball team and eventually turned into the traveling action-packed show.
Last year, they played 14 games in 7 cities - this year they're playing 86 games in 31 cities.
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Jamieko Lane traveled from Sacramento to see them.
"We couldn't get tickets in Sacramento when they play, so we were just so excited we could get tickets here," Lane said.
For the first time, the baseball circus brought their cast of characters to the west coast.
Tickets started at $25 but resale reached $200 to $500.
San Jose resident Jennifer Dekker said members from the San Jose Softball League were fortunate they were able to purchase tickets for $25.
"It is supposed to be affordable but it's a hard-to-get ticket," Dekker said.
Before the game shenanigans, there was a VIP meet and greet for families.
San Jose resident Jacob Shockley has been a fan since he heard about the team in 2020. His jersey was covered in autographs.
"Just ecstatic, I've been wanting to see them so badly and I just - even though it's for one night, it's going to be great," Shockley said.
Sean Fluke is a pitcher for the opposing team called the Party Animals.
"Just the fact that we're able to sign autographs, take pictures and do all the types of stuff like that it's not something I would be doing personally, but look here we are and now and it's unbelievable," Fluke said.
They're flattered people are willing to pay triple the price but players say the $25 tickets are meant to be affordable.
Kyle Luigs is a pitcher for the Savannah Bananas.
"If they're going to come to the Bananas, we want the experience to be authentic and we want it to be authentic starting with the price of the ticket," Luigs said.
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Michelle Padilla from Fremont bought tickets for her three sons back in October.
"We were told in the beginning that there's actually 850,000 people on the waitlist now, so our hopes of catching another game are high but highly unlikely," Padilla said.
You can call it a fan-omenon where the crowd has just as much fun as the players.
"Everywhere you look, I've never been to a baseball game where people are constantly smiling," Fluke said.
Tickets for the 2024 season go on sale this October.
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