The Savannah Bananas, baseball’s answer to the Harlem Globetrotters, upped the ante Friday night with a surprise appearance by former MLB All-Star Jonathan Papelbon, who regaled fans with his colorful mound antics, including carrying the Red Sox’s World Series trophy onto the field with him. The former closer walked out to his usual entrance song of Dropkick Murphy’s “Shipping up to Boston,” even donning a kilt and doing an Irish stepdance, just as he did during the Red Sox’s World Series parade in 2007.
Papelbon has been a content machine of late, launching a new betting podcast while raising eyebrows with his brash criticism of Fernando Tatis Jr., Bryce Harper (who he famously choked during a dugout scrum in 2015) and former Phillies GM Ruben Amaro. The 41-year-old still maintains close ties to the Red Sox, previously contributing to NESN’s pre and post-game coverage while also returning to Boston to throw out the first pitch ahead of last year’s ALCS Game 3 (Fenway’s jumbotron clocked him at a respectable 91 mph). Papelbon made his debut on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot this year, but only garnered five votes (1.3 percent), disqualifying him from appearing on future ballots.
Friday’s series opener against the Party Animals was a “Banana Ball” game, featuring expanded rules including allowing players to reach first base on wild pitches, no mound visits and a strict, two-hour time limit. Fans can also record outs by catching foul balls. Known for their over-the-top theatrics with a heavy emphasis on fan involvement, the Bananas have developed a huge following on social media, frequently going viral with prop humor and outlandish gimmicks. They recently became the subject of a documentary series, Bananaland, with new episodes premiering each Friday on ESPN+.
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