You’ve seen the TikToks. You’ve seen the dancing pitchers, the batters on stilts, and the guys catching foul balls for outs. But when the Savannah Bananas Rate Field takeover happened, it wasn't just another viral moment. It was a massive, 40,000-person reality check for traditional baseball.
There is a lot of confusion about this specific venue. People keep asking, "Wait, did the Bananas buy a stadium called Rate Field?" or "Is that where they play in Georgia?"
Honestly, no.
The Bananas live at Historic Grayson Stadium in Savannah. That’s their home base. But Rate Field—formally known as Guaranteed Rate Field and home to the Chicago White Sox—became the site of one of the most electric spectacles in the history of "Banana Ball."
It basically turned a Major League stadium into a yellow-tinted circus.
The Confusion Behind the Name
First things first: why are people calling it "Rate Field"?
On December 17, 2024, the Chicago White Sox and their naming rights partner, Guaranteed Rate, officially shortened the stadium's name to just Rate Field. It was a rebranding move for the mortgage company, but for Bananas fans, it became the destination for the most sought-after ticket of the 2025 tour.
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If you were looking for a "Rate Field" in Savannah, Georgia, you’d be driving for a long time.
The Savannah Bananas play their home games at Grayson Stadium, a 5,000-seat relic built in 1926. It has no ads. It has manual scoreboards. It feels like a time capsule.
But when the team goes on tour, they look for "Big League" stages. That’s how the Savannah Bananas Rate Field connection was born. They took a stadium designed for the grind of a 162-game MLB season and filled every single seat with people wearing yellow overalls.
Why This Specific Game Mattered
A lot of people think the Bananas just play at small minor league parks. That’s old news.
The 2025 stop at Rate Field was a statement. We’re talking about a venue that holds over 40,000 people. For a team that started as a college summer league experiment, selling out a Big League stadium in the South Side of Chicago is, frankly, nuts.
What really happened at the Savannah Bananas Rate Field event?
- The Crowd Recorded Outs: In Banana Ball, if a fan catches a fly ball, the batter is out. At Rate Field, the fans tied a record by recording six outs. Think about that. Regular people in the stands changed the outcome of the game six times.
- Celebrity Cameos: Chicago’s own Chance the Rapper showed up. Former White Sox legends like A.J. Pierzynski and Mark Buehrle stepped back onto their old turf, but this time, they were part of the chaos.
- The Food: They didn’t just serve hot dogs. The hospitality partner, Delaware North, created "Banana Beer" and jerk chicken served in literal plastic banana boats. They sold nearly 200,000 concession items in two days.
It wasn't just a game. It was a takeover of a professional sports ecosystem.
Banana Ball vs. The Chicago Tradition
The South Side of Chicago is a place where baseball tradition runs deep. The "Old Comiskey" vibes still linger in the air at 35th and Shields.
Some purists hated it. They saw the yellow jerseys and the "Professor" trick plays at short and rolled their eyes. But you can't argue with 80,000 tickets sold over a weekend.
When you look at the Savannah Bananas Rate Field stats, the engagement is higher than some actual MLB series. The game ended with seven minutes left on the two-hour clock. No pitching changes that take ten minutes. No adjusting batting gloves for half an hour. Just movement.
The Logistics of the Field
People often ask if the field dimensions change for the Bananas. At Rate Field, the walls stayed the same: 330 feet down the lines and 400 to center.
The difference is the atmosphere.
The Bananas don't use the traditional "walking up to the plate" music. They have a full pep band. They have players dancing mid-inning. While the physical Savannah Bananas Rate Field setup is the same grass and dirt the White Sox use, the "vibe" is unrecognizable.
How to Actually Get Tickets (The Hard Truth)
If you’re reading this hoping to snag a seat for the next time the Bananas hit a major stadium like Rate Field, you need a plan.
You can't just go to Ticketmaster on a Friday morning.
The Bananas use a lottery system. For 2026, that list usually closes months in advance (often by October of the previous year). If you missed the window, you're stuck looking at the secondary market.
Pro tip: Be careful. The Bananas are very vocal about the fact that their tickets start at $35. If you see someone selling "Savannah Bananas Rate Field" tickets for $300 on a random social media site, it's probably a scam or a massive markup. They try to keep it "Fans First," but the demand is so high it’s almost impossible to regulate the resellers.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're planning to attend a game at a major venue like Rate Field or any other tour stop, here is what you actually need to do:
- Join the Lottery Early: Get on the official Savannah Bananas mailing list today. Don't wait for the tour announcement.
- Learn the Rules: It isn't "normal" baseball. Foul balls are outs. You can steal first. There are no walks—it's a "sprint." If you don't know the rules, you'll be the only person in the stadium confused when a batter starts running on a ball four.
- Check the Venue Rebrand: Remember that names change. If you're looking for Guaranteed Rate Field and the signs say "Rate Field," you're in the right place.
- Arrive Three Hours Early: The "pre-game" is basically half the show. The players are out in the parking lots meeting fans long before the first pitch.
The Savannah Bananas Rate Field event proved that this isn't just a "small town" Savannah thing anymore. It's a national touring powerhouse that is redefined what we expect from a night at the ballpark. Whether you love the antics or think it’s a travesty to the "purity" of the game, you can't ignore the fact that the seats are full.
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Next time the yellow bus rolls into a Major League city, make sure you're already on the list. The lottery doesn't wait for anyone, and these tickets disappear faster than a fastball from a pitcher on stilts.