Banana Ball takes over the Diamond

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- The Savannah Bananas organization is in Richmond for the first time this weekend, hosting two games at The Diamond on Friday and Saturday.

While the main Bananas team isn’t taking the field, two of their alternate squads—the "Fire Fighters" and the "Tailgaters"—are playing instead. Even though it's not the main team, fans can still expect all the trick plays, dances, and entertainment that have made the Bananas go viral over the past few years.

Team owner Jesse Cole said the organization is excited to bring a show that Richmond fans will never forget. He said, "I’ve had some great conversations with Parney. He said the whole city is excited, and I think people don’t know what to expect because they haven’t seen a show before. They’re going to see one tonight. There are going to be firetrucks, surprises, and some big moments. That’s what we put into it. We want people to leave saying, ‘You wouldn’t believe what happened tonight.’ That’s what we hope to do here at The Diamond."

Although the Bananas bring in players from around the world, two pitchers on the Fire Fighters roster—Ben Dum and Bradford Webb—played college baseball right here in Central Virginia at VCU. For both, returning to The Diamond is something special.

Dum said, "Yeah, it’s so good to be back at The Diamond and back in Richmond. Just a special place where I have a lot of fond memories. A lot of friendly faces. I’ll get to see a lot of old friends. Going to be a special weekend."

Webb added, "Like we were saying, this is pretty much home for me. I won the A-10 tournament about 20 yards from where we’re standing right now. That memory—with the coaches, the players, and all those good guys—is flooding back to me right now. But I haven’t been back since that day, and it’s been four years or so."

The Tailgaters took the first game from the Fire Fighters 3-1. Game two is set for Saturday night with the show starting at 6:30.