Banana Ball is coming to Comerica Park in 2026

DETROIT, Mich. (WILX) - At long last, Banana Ball is coming to Detroit.

The baseball equivalent to basketball’s Harlem Globetrotters, the Savannah Bananas put a modern spin on America’s Pastime with quirky rules, flashy tricks and other entertainment.

The Savannah Bananas announced their 2026 schedule on Thursday, including a pair of stops at Comerica Park in Detroit on Sept. 18-19. The Firefighters will play the Party Animals on both days.

The lottery list for tickets to see the Savannah Bananas play is now live and will be open until Oct. 31. Ticket prices will remain the same as this past season — smaller stadiums start at $35, while football and MLB stadiums start at $40.

Banana Ball made its Major League stadium debut in the spring of 2024 and saw more than 2 million fans attend games throughout the 2025 season. Officials are expecting 3.2 million in 2026. The full Banana Ball World Tour includes 75 stadiums in 45 different states.

Among those stadium stops are 14 MLB stadiums and ten football stadiums, including the Superdome in New Orleans and Gillette Stadium in New England. Two of the football stadiums, Texas A&M’s Kyle Field and Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium, have the capacity to sit more than 100,000 fans.

Along with Thursday’s schedule release, Banana Ball also announced two new teams — The Loco Beach Coconuts and the Indianapolis Clowns.

ESPN reported two-time World Series champion Shane Victorino will serve as the primetime coach for the Loco Beach Coconuts, which will follow a beach theme and play in coastal locations.

The Indianapolis Clowns carry the name of a former Negro Leagues team. According to ESPN, they were the Leagues’ version of the Harlem Globetrotters, and the idea to bring them back started when the Savannah Bananas visited the Negro Leagues Museum in 2022.

The museum’s president, Bob Kendrick, told Banana Ball founder Jesse Cole the Bananas reminded him of the old club and Cole and him began working to bring it back.

Ryan Howard, a 2008 World Series champion, will serve as the Clowns’ primetime coach.

Subscribe to our News 10 newsletter and YouTube page to receive the latest local news and weather. Looking to hire people, or grow your business through advertising? Gray Digital Media is your one-stop marketing solution. Learn more.