How Savannah Bananas Added New Baseball Flavor To Fenway Park

BOSTON — The Savannah Bananas recorded another first in their unique journey, taking the field at Fenway Park for the first time on Saturday.

Hopefully for their sake, Boston fans were locked in with their eyes on the field from the moment they stepped inside the hallowed walls of the stadium.

“The best part about this whole game is that it is pure entertainment from start to finish,” Bananas guest and Red Sox Hall of Famer Jonathan Papelbon told NESN.com on Saturday. “If you go to get a beer, you’re gonna miss something.”

Perfectly said by the pitcher who set the 21st century standard for having fun on the mound with the Red Sox.

That’s what the Savannah Bananas are all about: fans, fun and a new-school energy to embrace baseball.

From the moment fans were allowed inside Fenway Park, the party began. Entertaining on-field skits and challenges ensued for the performing players as they engaged with the audience, running through the stands to interact and encourage spectators to let loose and enjoy the passion of the event.

Once the game started, defensive acrobatics, dancing umpires, between-inning choreography and big swings at the plate made for an entertaining game for fans in the stands. The Party Animals got the best of the Bananas on the scoreboard, though fans around the park seemed to head home happy.

Finally, fans looking for a hometown connection certainly got one when Papelbon headlined a group of former impact Red Sox players who threw on a uniform once again, this time to play for the Bananas.

The Bananas draw crowds wherever they go when they travel the country or welcome fans back to their home stadium in Savannah. Nonetheless, the ballclub found an engaging way to ensure an enriched passion for baseball for years to come.

Fenway Park has hosted plenty of baseball since opening in 1912. It’s never seen a game like this until Saturday night.