Allentown's Coca-Cola Park to go bananas again with an a-peel-ing event

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Banana Ball, the slippery twist on baseball that enforces fast-paced play and rules such as calling a batter out if a fan catches a foul ball, will return to Coca-Cola Park.

The stadium again will be host for two games between the Firefighters and Party Animals at the ballpark next Aug. 7-8, it was announced.

Opportunities to buy tickets will be by lottery. To join the ticket lottery list, go to the Banana Ball website to register through Oct. 31.

 Joining the list doesn’t guarantee the opportunity to buy tickets; a random drawing will take place before the event for chances to buy tickets.

Standard tickets start at $35, with meet-and-greet tickets starting at $100.

Fan interested in group hospitality areas can reach out to the IronPigs ticket department 610-841-PIGS (7447).

Banana Ball "strips away lulls and lengthy pauses, delivering a high-octane and entertainment-packed game that keeps both players and fans on their toes," according to a release.

While conceptualizing the idea of Banana Ball, founder Jesse Cole has said he sought to remove the lags and lulls associated with a typical baseball game.

So he came up with 11 new rules.

Zachary Gutherman

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Courtesy/Savannah Bananas

'Expect the unexpected'

Among the new rules:

• A strict two-hour time limit. When the clock hits zero, the game is over
• Foul balls caught by fans? They’re outs. Seriously, bring a glove
• On ball four, the batters sprint around the bases while the defense must throw to every fielder before trying to tag them out
• Batters can try to steal first base at any time, not just on a dropped third strike or a passed ball
• Bunting is completely banned. In fact, any player that tries to lay down a bunt is automatically ejected
• Each inning counts as a point. If you win the most innings, you win the game.

The Banana Ball website says the game includes "trick plays, dancing, singing and more. Expect the unexpected at a Banana Ball game."

Banana Ball had a successful first visit to Coca-Cola Park in July.

Since the inception of Banana Ball in 2021, it has been featured on the ESPN+ series "Bananaland," "HBO Real Sports" and NESN.