Banana Ball will bring entertainment-style baseball to Winnipeg next year

Trick pitch from Sanchez, deep out to right, Kmart, tip drill, Watson leaping behind the back! It's the game you know in a way you probably never imagined it. Another opportunity for Cruz. There are trick plays, music and dance numbers, and when fans catch a foul ball it counts as an out. There are also celebrity cameos. This is Banana Ball, a high-energy, entertainment-based version of baseball, And those moments have led to viral social media hits and sellouts at some of the biggest stadiums in the U.S. For the first time in Banana Ball history, we are going international! Winnipeg and Toronto will host Banana Ball's first ever games in Canada next year. The Winnipeg games will be played at Blue Cross Park and Princess Auto Stadium. Regan Cates of the Winnipeg Goldeyes has been working to bring the show to Manitoba for three years. Banana Ball has changed the game to make it fun throughout. So it's, you know, they refer to it as the Harlem Globetrotters for baseball. They very much are. It's an all-around circus and entertainment from start to finish. Kate says another draw is ticket prices. Banana ball tickets start at $35 in the U.S. Banana ball doesn't often go back to the same place. So this could be a one and done. And so it may be, at least locally, people's only opportunity to see it. Winnipeg Football Club president Wade Miller says the games are a chance to bring people from across Canada and beyond to the city. This is another example of Manitoba punching above its weight and being able to attract a great event like this to our city. Fans who are going bananas for the games can join a lottery system for the chance to get tickets. That list is open until the end of October. Gavin Axelrod, CBC News, Winnipeg.