A quick history of the Savannah Bananas before their Montgomery stop

The Yellowhammer State's set for another taste of baseball's latest phenomena this weekend, as the Savannah Bananas "World Tour" will stop in Montgomery for a two-game event between the Firefighters and Indianapolis Clowns on Saturday and Sunday at Riverwalk Stadium. The Clowns and Firefighters are an example of the growth Banana Ball has seen in the past decade, as they're one of six teams under the Savannah Bananas umbrella, playing Banana Ball as part of the organization's annual barnstorming exhibitions. Here's a look a the history of the Savannah Bananas and Banana Ball.

A timeline of the Savannah Bananas history: How Banana Ball got started November 2015: Fans First Entertainment holds an event announce it's fielding an Coastal Plain League — a summer college league — expansion team at Grayson Stadium in Savannah. February 2016: The moniker of "Savannah Bananas" is unveiled. The other finalists were the Ports, Seagulls, Anchors and Party Animals, a choice that would come into play later.

June 2016: The Bananas host their first game at Grayson Stadium, in front of a sellout crowd of 4,000, where the Bananas lost to the Lexington Blowfish. August 2016: The Bananas beat Peninsula in a best-of-three series to win the Coastal Plain League championship, breaking the CPL season attendance record along the way, with more than 90,000 fans attending games at Grayson Stadium. The team sold out 17 of 25 games in that first season and has sold out every game since.

2018: Tyler Gillum takes over as manager of the Savannah Bananas. June 2020: The first official game played under Banana Ball rules is played at Grayson Stadium, though the concept was previously developed and used in unofficial games dating back to 2018. March 2021: The Bananas Premier Team, a professional squad playing by Banana Ball rules, faces off against a new team — the Party Animals — at Grayson Stadium.