Savannah Bananas debut at Petco Park in front of a sold out crowd

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The sold-out crowd went bananas for the Savannah Bananas debut at Petco Park on Friday night.

While the team stepped foot on the field in America's Finest City for the first time, not everyone was new to San Diego.

“I grew up in this area," said Kelsie Whitmore. "It’s a healing place for me.”

Whitmore, a Temecula native, became the first woman to debut in the MLB partner league when she signed with the Staten Island Ferry Hawks.

“There’s so many young girls that I get to meet that come up to me and say, 'hey, I play baseball now because I saw you,'” she said.

Now, she returned home as the pitcher for the Savannah Bananas.

“Getting a chance to play on this field, to pitch off this mound, it’s a dream,” she said, remembering all the times she watched the Padres play on the same field.

Appealing to more than 40,000 fans, banana ball mashes high level baseball with entertainment in just a two-hour game.

“The crowd is into it the whole time,” said Dalton Cornette, the catcher for The Firefighters.

The Bananas sold out several MLB and NFL stadiums during their 2025 Banana Ball World Tour.

“It’s not just about selling a bunch of tickets and merch," Savannah Bananas Coach Adam Virant said. "It’s about putting on the greatest show so people will talk about it and want to come back.”

More than 3.6 million people are waitlisted for tickets to see these popular athletes.

“We’re all just a bunch of weirdos like in the best way,” Whitmore said about her teammates who she now considers brothers.  

The new dances every game and signature trick plays of their fan-focused performance captivates fans of all ages.

“I feel like I’m in the big leagues now," Cornette said. "We get to be treated like that.”

But, the league didn’t start with this turnout.

“When we first came on the scene, people dismissed us," Virant said. "They said this is a joke.”

So seeing a crowd like this makes all the difference for the league.

“It’s validation that we’re on the right path," Virant said. "It’s validation that people want a good experience at the ballpark again with their families.”

With every game, they’re leaving fans with an unforgettable night.

“We have such a big opportunity to make an impact on people," Whitmore said.

The Firefighters turned up the heat on night one, but the Savannah Bananas secured the win in the final inning.

Both teams return to Petco Park for another night of banana ball on Saturday.