WASHINGTON — The Texas Tailgaters are the first Banana Bowl champions.
Held without a hit into the eighth inning, the No. 2 seed Tailgaters tied the game on a Kyle Martin home run, then beat the No. 1 seed Savannah Bananas in a Showdown on Saturday night in front of 41,000 fans at Nationals Park.
Nationals Park was the 76th stadium Banana Ball played in this season.
A Pitchers' Duel
Both starters were in control for most of the night.
Austin Drury started for the Bananas and had the Tailgaters without a hit through seven innings. Savannah gave him a 1-0 lead in the third, when Ty Jackson hit the first home run in Banana Bowl history to walk off the inning. Jackson did it while playing through a torn labrum.
Brett Sanchez answered for Texas with 7.0 innings, allowing two runs on four hits with one Ball Four Sprint and one strikeout. It was his second straight seven-inning start of the postseason, after he threw seven innings of one-run ball in the semifinal against the Loco Beach Coconuts. Sanchez also beat Savannah in September at Globe Life Field, allowing one run over eight innings in a 3-0 win.
Martin Answers as the Golden Batter
In the eighth, the Tailgaters used their Golden Batter, the Banana Ball rule that lets a team send any hitter to the plate once per game. They picked Martin, and he hit a two-run homer.
That swing ended the no-hit bid, won the inning for Texas and tied the game 1-1. It was Martin's 43rd Golden Batter appearance this season, and not his first big moment in the role. He also homered as the Golden Batter at Riders Field in Frisco in March.
It was also his third home run of the postseason, after hitting two in the semifinal series. Martin led the league in home runs, RBI, slugging percentage and OPS during the regular season.
Lopez Delivers Again, Clarke Closes
With the game tied 1-1 after nine innings, the Banana Bowl went to Banana Ball's sudden-death Showdown.
Nick Lopez came through for the second straight Showdown. A week after his winning hit against the Coconuts sent the Tailgaters to the Banana Bowl, he had the winning hit again Saturday to put Texas ahead. Savannah still had a chance to answer.
Chris Clarke got the ball in his first Showdown opportunity and struck out Bananas star Dan Oberst to clinch the title. Clarke earned the win after throwing 1.0 inning with one Ball Four Sprint. He finished the regular season second in the league with a 2.64 ERA.
Banana Ball Goes Big
Banana Ball went big for its first championship game. Pentatonix sang a fantastic national anthem, John Cena brought out the game ball, each team also debuted an original team song.
Lindsey Sterling performed and the Jonas Brothers performed. This was their setlist: Burnin’ Up Play My Music Listen When Sad Waffle House Only Human Sucker Celebrate!
Two-time All-Stars Jordan Zimmermann and Ryan Zimmerman, former Washington Nationals teammates, returned to Nationals Park as Banana Ball opponents. Zimmermann pitched 0.1 innings for the Tailgaters, while Zimmerman suited up for the Bananas.
A Texas Champion
The Tailgaters finished the regular season 32-29, four games behind the 36-25 Bananas. They then beat Savannah in a Showdown with the league title on the line. Texas also took two of three from the Bananas at Globe Life Field in September.
Manager Joe Mikulik, who managed the Frisco RoughRiders from 2015 to 2019, led the Tailgaters to the league's first championship in his second season with the club.
Banana Ball's 2027 schedule will be revealed Oct. 15 during the live 2027 Selection Show.
Final Thoughts
Tied 1-1 after nine innings and decided in a Showdown. Watching Nick Lopez come through in a Showdown for the second time in a week was epic. I don't know if it's the best Banana Ball game I've seen, but it's close, and it didn't disappoint.
Being from Texas and covering the Tailgaters each time they've been in town has been something truly special.
Congratulations to the Texas Tailgaters on being the BBCL champions and on an amazing season. I can't wait to cover them next season as they look to repeat.
