The Savannah Bananas extinguished the Firefighters at Fenway Park in Boston, but the fire never went out. Learn how yellow bases, a dancing umpire, and sharp marketing fuel Banana Ball, as the team returned to Boston for a flame-filled showdown.
Saturday at Fenway Park was more than another day in the park for the Savannah Bananas. The game aired live on ESPN, giving viewers across the country another look at a sport that rewrites baseball’s rulebook without losing its competitive edge. Official game time was seven o’clock, yet more than thirty‑seven thousand fans crowded the plaza by two in the afternoon. Gates did not open until four, but the atmosphere was already bananas.
This article looks past the trick plays we wrote about last year in The Savannah Bananas Peel into Fenway Park to the business engine underneath. You will meet the owner who scripts a new show every night, the player who turns each at bat into social content, the marketer who knows all about base and ball yellow paint regulations, the umpire who humanizes the strike zone, and the pitcher whose mustache doubles as branding.
Their stories explain how Banana Ball sells tickets, merchandise and broadcast time while keeping the game fast and fun.
Jesse Cole: Building a Sport in a Yellow Tuxedo
“Banana Ball is a sport. That is what we are building.”
Jesse Cole greeted me beside the Red Sox dugout with the Green Monster towering behind him while his yellow tux catching the sun. He wanted us to be quick so he could go play a game of catch with his son in the outfield. But he always finds time for his fans.
Curious how he would be able to pull off a show at Fenway Park for his second year in a row, he wasted no time explaining to me why the atmosphere never feels recycled. “Every night is completely different,” he said. “We do ten to fifteen things we have never done in front of a live crowd. We rehearse all week, different surprises, different dances, different celebrations.” That promise of first‑time moments keeps the audience coming back.
He then shifted from show to strategy. Every baseball fan today knows the Bananas brand, but with the Party Animals, Firefighters, Texas Tailgaters, and the Visitors also on tour, I asked how he keeps the spotlight on his original team – the Bananas.
“People want to see the sport,” he said. “They want to see what each team is going to do.” The traveling fans proved his point, many wearing gear for many of Banana Ball clubs. “Yes, we have twenty thousand watching the Party Animals and Tailgaters this weekend, but we have thirty seven thousand watching it here.” The numbers underline his larger aim. Major League Baseball drew seventy million spectators last year. “We are in front of two point two million,” Cole noted, “and there are millions more we can connect with, not just here, but all over the world.”
Jesse flashed a grin that matched his suit and summed up the philosophy. “The guys have gotten tremendously better over the last year with what they can bring every night,” he said, confident that fresh ideas and global curiosity will carry Banana Ball even further.
Those ideas still need messengers, and nobody wears the combined hat of player and promoter better than Coach RAC.
Coach RAC: Turning Plate Appearances into Episodes
“Every day I am like, man, I cannot believe we get to do what we are doing.”
Robert Anthony Cruz—Coach RAC to the crowd and his more than 1.1 million social media followers—offered a straightforward preview. “Oh, well, they are going to see a lot of dancing,” he said. “I cannot guarantee it is going to be any good, but I can guarantee we will give it our best go.” Dancing will not come at the expense of baseball. “You can probably also expect some pretty good baseball,” he added, planning to aim his left‑handed swing “backside over that green monster.”
Memory still lingers from the 2024 visit. “Last year when we played here it was only the second time I had ever played in a big league park,” he said. Experience has grown, yet Fenway remains unique. “Even just the smaller clubhouses and the older building, it is so iconic.” Tonight’s stage felt bigger than ever. “Tonight is primetime ESPN in front of a sold‑out crowd at Fenway. I always dreamed and hoped I could do something like this.”
RAC turns that stage into content that you can view on social media. Watch Coach RAC on TikTok. “Last year I filmed a vlog and put it on YouTube here at Fenway Park. Because of that video I hired a team and we went all out for it.” The camera keeps rolling through good and bad. “Some games when I am filming I have a terrible day. I go 0‑for, strike out three times, and I just talk to the camera and say, hey, that is baseball.”
Media crews vary by player. “It is different for every guy,” he said. The Bananas have their own team for the official accounts. RAC works with two people, “one directing in charge and the other manning the camera.” Others bring their own staffs. The club welcomes the exposure because “they get more eyes on what we are doing here.”
Time is split down the middle. “I would say it is pretty fifty‑fifty,” he explained. Half strengthens Banana Ball, half strengthens his personal mission to become “the most impactful voice in youth baseball,” encouraging kids to “play the game free from the fear of failure.”
That social reach only works because every frame looks unmistakably Banana bright, a visual signature Sam Bauman guards with fresh paint and custom gear.
Sam Bauman: Painting the Brand (and Bases) Yellow
“They are Major League Baseball bases – We just paint them.”
With MLB switching to larger bases in 2023, fans wanted to know whether the Bananas followed suit or stuck with the classic size. Bauman smiled at the question because the answer is both. “We have done both,” he said. “A lot of times we end up with the big ones.” Whatever arrives from the supplier, he added, gets the same treatment. “They are Major League Baseball bases and we just paint them,” he said.
The painting happens inside the Bananas operation. “Our office team does a great job,” Bauman explained. “You see bases sitting there and they sit there and paint them.” The same focus applies to the baseballs. “Those are special, made from Wilson, one hundred percent.”
Consistent color on bags and balls helps the brand stand out in every highlight. Bauman is also the point person for press logistics, securing credentials and coordinating on‑field media access so reporters and camera crews capture every yellow‑tinted moment.
Flair paints the picture, but credibility depends on the person calling the zone, which brings us to Vinny Chapman.
Vinny Chapman, The Dancing Umpire
“You don't have to dance, but you have to be an entertaining umpire at the plate.”
I asked Vinny Chapman what it’s like to manage a Banana Ball crowd that cheers every stunt yet still demands a fair strike zone. “People like to bash on umpires, but we’re human too,” he began. He emphasized that nobody on the field is perfect. “We are going to make mistakes,” he said. “If you didn’t miss that ball at short or you didn’t strike out on a ball in the dirt swinging, then you can really talk. But you can’t really talk if we’re doing the best job we can do.”
Looking ahead, he added, “We’re expanding, and we gotta find good umpires. You don’t have to dance, but we have to find good umpires for the plate.” Respect the craft, add a bit of personality, and the crowd will meet you halfway.
Character and competition merge most visibly in Marshall Shill, whose signature handlebar mustache is as much a prop as a personal trademark.
Marshall Shill: Wax and Four‑Seam Fire
“You start the day looking like a walrus, warm the wax, comb down, and you are ready to roll.”
If the Bananas need a visual mascot, pitcher Marshall Shill and his Rollie Fingers–style mustache fit the bill. Asked how long the curls take each morning he laughed and laid out the routine. “You gotta heat up your wax because it has to be melted,” he said. “Blow dryer or a lighter, I like to use, then you throw it into the mustache. Fill it out, fill it out. Then you start your curl, comb down, comb down, and you’re ready to roll.” The finished product is strong enough to last nine innings, though he admits he keeps a small tin handy. “Always have a can on you. People always ask me: ‘Hey, is that a dip can?’ Nah, it’s just my wax.”
Shill’s route to the new Firefighters club traces through drone videos he shot while playing in Australia and Canada. “Everywhere I went, I always filmed where I was,” he said. The Bananas noticed the content and invited him to a tryout. He arrived dressed as a U.S. marshal from Tombstone. Coaches quickly saw another angle. “They were like, ‘Hey, you know what? That actually might be a good firefighter mustache.’” A few months later the call came. A roster spot had opened, and Shill jumped at what he called “an absolute dream.”
He values the character side but insists the baseball still matters. The Firefighters visit real stations on tour and draw on two active firefighters plus a retired coach for authenticity. “We try to learn as much as we can about that so we can bring any of that to the field,” Shill explained. Moments before taking the mound he summed up his mindset. “You gotta still keep under control because there’s a lot of stuff going on and a lot of emotions. I always say you’re excited, not nervous.” He then delivered the fourth and fifth innings with the curls still perfectly set.
The nostalgia knob turned up another notch when three recent Red Sox champions took the field in yellow.
Sox Legends in Yellow Socks
Fenway history met Banana Ball when three World Series champions made surprise cameos for the Bananas.
Closer Keith Foulke, who threw the final pitch of the 2004 World Series and ended the Curse of the Bambino, took the mound for a one‑third‑inning stint that drew a roar from the crowd.
Matt Barnes, part of Boston’s 2018 championship bullpen, followed with his own appearance, reminding fans of his high‑leverage days.
Utility favorite Brock Holt, hero of the 2013 title run, suited up in bright yellow stirrups and soaked in the applause.
The trio’s brief returns bridged several eras of Boston baseball while fitting seamlessly into the Bananas’ show.
Bananas Win the Game, Fans Win the Weekend
The Bananas topped the Firefighters 3-1, improving to10-3 in Major League ballparks and climbing back to an even 23-23 record for the season. Yet, these numbers meant little inside Fenway. Fans came for the conga lines, trick plays, and yellow baseballs and left talking about the shirtless Firefighters dancing on the dugout roof, not the box score.
Parents and kids alike came hours early for autographs, while staying late for merch that was selling like hot cakes.
Banana Ball continues to be a fan‑first experience that turns any day at the park into a shareable memory. If this weekend proved anything, it is that the color yellow belongs in front of the Monster and that the future of Banana Ball is green.
Brett Rudy is a trailblazer in the world of baseball. As the founder of Baseball Is My Life and co-founder of Charity Hop Sports Marketing, he’s dedicated to elevating the sport and supporting the athletes who play it. With a passion for making a difference, Brett has created successful philanthropic initiatives like Charity Wines and 100 Innings of Baseball for ALS. He’s also the mastermind behind the Corked Bat Collection, Cooperstown Classic at the Baseball Hall of Fame, and Winterball for Toys for Tots. When he’s not working to improve the game, Brett can be found playing outfield in the Boston Metro Baseball League, living and breathing the sport he loves.