The Savannah Bananas are in Chicago for the first time ever to play their signature Banana Ball against the Firefighters at Rate Field Friday.

If you've never seen the Savannah Bananas play, it's unlike any baseball game you've ever seen. Instead of scoring runs, the team that wins the inning gets the point and whoever ends the game with the most points wins. Games are limited to two hours, you're not allowed to bunt, no walks are allowed, batters can steal first, and if a fan catches a foul ball then it counts as an out.

The games also include plenty of antics, including singing, dancing, and bouncing on the pitcher's mound. All the entertainment happens for walkups and after runs are scored. The unique concept has grown like wildfire, selling out Major League Baseball stadiums across the U.S.

Banana Ball creator Jesse Cole said he studied how baseball fans engage in a normal game, then cut out the less-exciting parts like bunting and walks.

"From mound visits to batters stepping out of the box to just a three-hour plus game, I said, 'Well, what if we eliminated all the boring parts and tried to make it non-stop fun?' You know, there were some growing pains in the beginning, some learning we had to do, but now we play every game under two hours. Non-stop trick plays, non-stop entertainment, fans catching foul balls for outs. It's just fun to watch," he said.

What's the hardest part about being a Savannah Banana? Pitcher Ryan Kellogg said it's learning new dances for every game.

"I think learning the [choreography] for me, personally. Other guys might have other ones, whether that's their acrobatics or other aspects to it, but the choreo for me is always where I struggle the most," said pitcher Ryan Kellogg.

Kellogg pitched in the minor leagues with the Cubs from 2015 through 2021 before moving on to the Atlantic League and eventually the Savannah Bananas.

He hasn't looked back since.

Meantime, it's an especially meaningful weekend for Firefighters catcher Dalton Cornett, whose father used to be a catcher in the White Sox system.

"I'm going to try to wear his jersey tonight in one of my at-bats. So it really means the world to me, because he made me the man I am today," he said.

Both Friday and a second game Saturday at Rate Field are sold out, but there's a chance you can still see them. The team will be at Dunkin Donuts in Mt. Greenwood on Saturday morning.

And in honor of the games, Rate Field will have a special food menu featuring everything banana: banana beer, banana cotton candy, even an Italian beef and banana pepper pizza, plus a jerk chicken sandwich with banana peppers in a banana boat.