If you want to see banana ball at PNC Field — and it seems everyone wants to see banana ball — enter the ticket lottery by Oct. 31.
Two banana ball teams, part of the Savannah Bananas phenomenon, are including the Moosic baseball field in national tours. The Loco Beach Coconuts and the Firefighters will play two games May 22-23. It is competitive baseball with dancing, fan interaction and its own rules.
A regional favorite has ties to a team, but there is no guarantee of an appearance.
Banana ball, as seen on “60 Minutes” and in viral videos, sells out stadiums far larger than PNC Field. Entering a free lottery at bananaball.com/tickets by 11:59 p.m. Oct. 31 is the only guarantee of a chance at buying tickets. (One entry per email address only.) That’s the first step.
The process is similar to those used for some big events. There are also the typical risks of buying any ticket.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders season and suite ticket holders should enter the lottery, said Shawn Reilly, president and general manager of the RailRiders. He anticipates giving those fans a special opportunity to buy. But fans shouldn’t wait until those plans are finalized, he said.
“We will get the word out,” Reilly said.
Banana ball is generating a lot of buzz, he said. “It’s a huge deal.”
About two months before the games, randomly chosen lottery winners will receive an email with instructions to go online within a certain time frame for the chance to buy up to five tickets. No guarantees. There may be more lottery winners than tickets available. Standard tickets cost $35.
There are two things to watch out for, one shady and the other plain stealing.
Unless the RailRiders offer a private sale, a ticket sold before the lottery drawing is fake. It means the seller is offering tickets they don’t have, in hopes of winning the lottery or getting tickets some other way. If the seller doesn’t come up with tickets, the payment will probably be refunded. But people have bought such tickets only to travel to the game before receiving a refund.
Like any other event, there is also the risk of fakes. Don’t buy from strangers on social media, said banana ball spokesperson Sam Bauman.
Former Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino, who won the International League MVP trophy as a Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Baron, is a “prime time coach” for the Coconuts. He doesn’t come to every game. “We don’t promise that,” said Bauman.
There will be at least two special guests. At each game, a local firefighter will be honored and interact with a player on the field.
Banana ball is not part of Major or Minor League baseball. But players are competing for a banana ball championship among six teams, including the original Savannah team. The games aren’t predetermined or scripted.
Some of the dance moves are. The players perform dance routines, execute trick plays and interact with the crowd.
Banana ball also has its own rules, which speed up the games. Games are limited to two hours. There are no visits to the pitcher’s mound. There is no bunting in this baseball. A foul ball caught by a fan counts as an out.
For information, go to bananaball.com.
Originally Published: October 15, 2025 at 4:08 PM EDT