If you want to see the most hilarious race in the world, line up a group of crawling babies across from a parent and say “Ready, set, go!”
That’s exactly the scenario that played out at a Savannah Bananas baseball game, and the result was one for the record books.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Savannah Bananas, you’re in for a treat. Think Harlem Globetrotters, but with baseball instead of basketball and with even more silliness and shenanigans. The athletic skill is there, make no mistake, but the primary goal is to entertain. And goodness, do they win on that front every time.
The players dress up. They dance. They sing. They play baseball. And in between all of that, they have whacky contests like this baby race.
Who knew a minute of babies crawling could be so riveting…and with such an unexpected outcome?
@thesavbananas Is this the greatest comeback of all time?! 📸: @Austin Usher #savannahbananas #bananaball #funny #foryou #cute
“The race was the most unexpected highlight amongst all of the other wacky Banana highlights,” the man behind the camera, Austin Usher, told Upworthy, “We laughed from the moments the babies sat without moving until the very end. No one expected the come from behind win like that, it was the loudest crowd pop of the night for sure.”
People loved the surprise win that no one saw coming, especially from the babe who seemed to spend most of the race trying to help out a buddy.
“Me explaining to my wife that we lost the house because I bet on a baby race,” wrote one commenter.
“This baby race is a life lesson. Success will come to those who remain focused even if you are a late starter,” wrote another.
“The baby that won spent half the race encouraging his lil friend to run:)) gave up on him and still won,” offered another.
“That baby was so sure he wanted to help his friend out. He tried twice. TWICE!!! Very intentional child,” shared another.
The Savannah Bananas have as unlikely an origin story as that baby’s odds of winning the baby race. The team was founded in the fall of 2015 as an attempt at bringing baseball fans back to Historic Grayson Stadium after minor league baseball had left Savannah. At that time, they struggled to sell any tickets and the owners even had to sell their house to keep from going under.
After they named the team the Savannah Bananas in February of 2016, they made national news. But local folks weren’t sold on the silly name and told them they’d never sell a ticket.
Not only did they end up selling out their first game, but they’ve sold out every game since—over 200 of them. They have also grown in popularity immensely, boasting over 8 million followers on TIkTok alone. And with “kenergetic” at-bats like this one, it’s not hard to see why:
@thesavbananas Baton Rouge, your Kenergy is 10/10 💛🙌 #savannahbananas #kenergy #imjustken #oscars #kenough #ryangosling #geauxtigers
Is it really baseball, though? Yes and no. It’s definitely baseball, but with a few twists. Here are the 11 rules of “Banana Ball” that set it apart from a traditional baseball game (besides the costumes and dancing and acrobatics).
You can follow the Savannah Bananas on TikTok and Instagram.