Savannah Bananas Break Attendance Record with 102,000 Fans: Yankees connection explained

via Imago
September 19, 2025, Seattle, Washington, USA: Savannah Bananas infielder DALTON MAULDIN 13 celebrates following a win from the Banana Ball matchup between the Savannah Banans and the Firefighters at T-Mobile Park on September 19, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. Seattle USA - ZUMAd218 20250919_zsp_d218_062 Copyright: xRichardxDizonx
On May 2, 2026, the Savannah Bananas turned Kyle Field into something few people had ever experienced before. They changed a football stadium into a baseball diamond.
And in front of a sold-out crowd of 102,000, the Bananas played the Texas Tailgaters in the biggest Banana Ball crowd ever. The Tailgaters won 4-3, but the score was only a part of the story.
Jesse Cole, the Bananas’ owner and the founder of Fans First Entertainment, said seeing 40,000 people outside hours before the show, then 102,000 inside the stadium, was something he would never forget.
"There’s nothing like it, the energy, the enthusiasm, the crowd, it was, it was truly special. This is definitely going to leave a lasting impression for all of us, not just myself, but our players, our cast and the hundreds of teammates we brought here,” Cole added.
He also said the journey was not easy, because people once told him no and thought the team would fail.
“When we got people telling us, ‘No,’ that was tough,” Cole said. “We were getting doors slammed in our face. We were getting hung up on. People thought we were just the next team to fail, but we kept showing up. We had a commitment to fans. And when you commit to the fans, they commit back to you."
The challenging part of the show was the playing surface itself. For Hayden Schott, the moment felt almost unreal. The former Texas A&M player said it was a “weird feeling” to see Kyle Field covered by a baseball diamond. Because it did not even look like a baseball field at first.
“It’s a lot of work to turn a football field into a baseball field,” Cole said.
And for players with Texas ties, like Texas Tailgaters shortstop Jorden Hussein, who grew up in Houston, it was something they would never forget.
“I never thought I’d play in front of 100,000 playing baseball,” Hussein said. “That’s just not something that you hear of. So doing this, like I said, in front of a bunch of Texans means the world to me.”
And the fan experience is just as top-notch as the game itself. The night was packed with music, dance routines, celebrity cameos, baby races, and nonstop movement. Cole said the crowd kept celebrating even after the game, and that those are the kinds of 'moments' people remember forever.
“It’s the moments,” Cole said. “How many people get moments these days? They’re always going so fast from thing to thing to thing, and they’re disconnected and they’re on their phones in a moment like this. There’s nowhere else in the world this happened, and you get to feel connected and part of something.”
Savannah Bananas and Yankees Share a Special Bond That Goes Beyond Baseball
The Bananas sold out Yankee Stadium in September 2025, when nearly 100,000 fans packed the Bronx over two games. They came back again in April 2026 for another two-game set at Yankee Stadium.
The Bananas have also built that bridge by successfully recruiting some of the most notable faces of the Yankees' history. The seven-time Cy Young winner and two-time Yankees World Series champion, Roger Clemens, has appeared as a pitcher for the group.
The two-time All-Star and World Series hero for both the Red Sox and Yankees, Johnny Damon, also joined the tour as an outfielder.
In New York, the Bananas also brought in familiar faces like Joe Torre, Nick Swisher, and Eli Manning as guests.
At the end, the record was not just about 102,000 seats filled. The record proved the team can transform massive football venues into successful baseball events.
Did you watch the Savannah Bananas when they played at Yankee Stadium? Comment down below!
Read more at the New York Yankees Community!
Written by
Md Saife Fida
Edited by

Utsav Gupta