Kyle Martin has been named MVP of the first-ever Banana Bowl, Banana Ball announced on its social media accounts. The Texas Tailgaters beat the Savannah Bananas in a Showdown on Saturday night at Nationals Park.

His one swing changed the game.

The Golden Batter Moment

Bananas starter Austin Drury held the Tailgaters without a hit through seven innings. Savannah led 1-0 after Ty Jackson's walk-off home run won the third inning.

In the eighth, Texas used its Golden Batter, the Banana Ball rule that lets a team send any hitter to the plate once per game. The Tailgaters picked Martin, and he hit a two-run homer.

The home run ended the no-hit bid and earned the Tailgaters the point to win the eighth and tie the game 1-1. That sent the Banana Bowl to a Showdown, where Nick Lopez had the winning hit and Chris Clarke struck out Dan Oberst to clinch the title.

Martin finished 1-for-5 with a home run and two RBI.

Built for the Moment

Saturday was Martin's 43rd Golden Batter appearance this season, and not the first time he delivered in that role. We saw him homer as the Golden Batter during the Tailgaters' stop in Frisco.

Martin carried his regular-season production into October. He homered in the seventh inning of the semifinal win over the Loco Beach Coconuts, then added Saturday's homer in the Banana Bowl. Across three postseason games, he went 4-for-12 with a triple, three home runs, seven RBI and three runs scored.

A League-Leading Season

Martin hit 29 home runs during the regular season, leading the Banana Ball Championship League by 14. He also led the league in RBI, slugging percentage and OPS, which made him one of the leading candidates for league MVP heading into the playoffs.

Congratulations to Kyle Martin on being named MVP of the Banana Bowl. It is well deserved.