Savannah Bananas already have one date booked in Des Moines. Could they add more?

Interest in the Savannah Bananas 2023 Banana Ball World Tour was so big that shortly after the team announced its dates and locations Tuesday night, its website crashed. Fans from across the country were flocking to it to follow the announcements and try to get tickets to games in their towns.

Especially in Des Moines.

“The people that have gotten through, we have requests and we have interested tickets, and Des Moines is probably one of the top three or four of all the cities,” Bananas owner Jesse Cole said. “We have thousands of requests for tickets.”

The Bananas, a wildly popular barnstorming baseball team, announced Tuesday night that they’ll come to Des Moines to play at Principal Park, the home of the Iowa Cubs, on Aug. 25, 2023. Cole promised the team will continue with its unique style of entertainment and play when they come to Iowa.

“We have a plethora of ideas, a lot of them crazy, a lot of them outrageous, for the whole tour and I think we’re going to choose which cities will work best,” Cole said. “There will be things in Des Moines that will be definitely unforgettable and will make people say, ‘You wouldn’t believe what I saw tonight.’”

The Cubs will provide the venue for the game between the Bananas and their rivals The Party Animals. The Bananas will handle tickets, which will go on sale two months prior the game. Cole recommended fans interested in tickets sign up for their presale alerts. If enough tickets are sold, Cole said another Des Moines date could be added to the tour in 2023.

“A lot of cities, based on demand, do get pushed to two nights,” Cole said. “But, we’ll see where we are once the website gets up and we get accurate numbers and where everything is.”

The Bananas are known for putting on a crowd-pleasing show. They became social media stars with their viral videos, unusual antics and unique style of play. Their games include choreographed dances, skits and added props. Some of their most popular moments include a hitter strolling the plate with his bat on fire and former big-league pitcher Jake Peavy appearing in a game with his Gold Glove.

Their Banana Ball rules include no stepping out, no bunting, no walks and no mound visits. Games are limited to two hours, batters can steal first and fans can catch foul balls for outs. There is also a one-on-one tiebreaker showdown.

The Bananas attracted the attention of ESPN which spotlighted them in a series called "Bananaland." Cole said last year’s tour was a huge success and expects the 2023 one to generate just as strong of a showing. Iowa Cubs president and general manager Sam Bernabe said he’s already noticed excitement among fans in Des Moines on social media.

“This will be fun,” Bernabe said.

Bernabe said Diamond Baseball Holdings, which owns the Cubs, was interested in bringing the Bananas to Des Moines and several other sites of teams the company owns. It's worked out well for both parties. The Cubs are hoping for a big crowd and Cole said the response they’ve gotten from fans in Des Moines has already been bigger than he could have imagined.

“Last year, in Kansas City, we sold 10,000 tickets in 16 minutes,” Cole said. “I never would have expected that.

"Now, Des Moines looks like that could be one of the same situations. Obviously, it’s a great baseball market.”

Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468. Follow him on Twitter @TommyBirch.