A 2008 Phillies reunion broke out at the Savannah Bananas game at Citizens Bank Park
With the Phillies’ 2008 World Series team in town for a reunion over the weekend, a few of them tried their hands at Banana Ball — to mixed results.
The Savannah Bananas came to Citizens Bank Park to put on a show, and they brought a few special guests along with them. With the Phillies’ 2008 World Series team in town for a reunion over the weekend, a few of them tried their hands at Banana Ball — to mixed results.
The Philadelphia crowd went nuts as the Savannah Bananas host announced Shane Victorino would be the next batter up.
Victorino ultimately grounded out, to jeers from the crowd, who hoped to see the 43-year-old get a shot on the basepaths.
The next former Phillie up was Joe Blanton, the last-ever pitcher to hit a home run in the World Series. He pitched a scoreless inning against the Party Animals, the Bananas’ top rival.
Jamie Moyer, who won the World Series with the Phillies at age 45 as the oldest player in MLB, also took a turn on the mound, becoming (probably) the oldest pitcher to ever pitch at Citizens Bank Park at 61.
Finally, to close out the night, former NL MVP and NL Rookie of the Year, Phillies legend Ryan Howard, made it to the plate as the Golden Batter for the Savannah Bananas. The Golden Batter is a Banana Ball rule that allows the team to bring up any hitter to the plate, regardless of their spot in the lineup, to ensure they have their best batter up in crunch time.
The crowd went absolutely wild for Howard — but he didn’t do much for the Bananas, striking out on three pitches.