From backwards hurdles to Gritty appearances, the Savannah Bananas took over Citizens Bank Park

After a successful Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park — highlighted by appearances from Big Dom, Shane Victorino, and Joey Chestnut — the Savannah Bananas made a quick return to do it all over again on Sunday afternoon as part of a two-game series against the Texas Tailgaters.

Although the Bananas competed against the same opponents, at the same venue as the day prior, it wasn’t nearly the same game. In a league that strives to make each game unique, they did just that for the Philadelphia faithful.

“You can expect something you’ve never seen on a baseball field, that’s for sure,” said Savannah Bananas outfielder Reese Alexiades. “Just a lot of energy. You know, we’re excited to be in Philly and it’s going to be a whole lot of fun.

“If you’re a fan of baseball or you’re not even a fan of sports in general, this is a family-friendly environment where we’re having fun with the sport. We break the fourth wall between players and it’s an enjoyable experience for everybody.”

From backwards hurdles to Gritty appearances, here’s everything we saw at Sunday’s Savannah Bananas game before rain ended the game early …

The Phillie Phanatic wasn’t anywhere to be seen on Sunday while he was making a road trip to New York with the Phillies. But one Philly mascot kept his seat warm while he was gone. Flyers mascot Gritty made an appearance at Citizens Bank Park ahead of the Savannah Bananas game.

In an unexpected collaboration with Bananas mascot Split, a rather muscular banana, the duo participated in a dance contest — and it was pretty entertaining with a number of solid dance moves on display.

But this wasn’t Gritty’s only appearance. The mascot reappeared later in the game to perform an interpretative dance with the Bananas’ Maceo Harrison to “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus.

Saquon Barkley’s backwards hurdle has taken the world by storm, becoming the cover of Madden NFL 26, and winning an ESPY for Best Play of the Year. The acrobatic stunt was something never seen before on the football field. Now, the Savannah Bananas have brought the move to the ballpark.

Playing over the loud speakers at Citizens Bank Park, fans could hear the play-by-play from the iconic move taking place during the Birds’ 28-23 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Meanwhile, Bananas players set out to recreate their own version of the play — featuring Dr Meadows jumping over Correlle Prime on the pitcher’s mound.

Sunday’s Savannah Bananas game was a very Eagles-inspired show.

After Eagles security chief Big Dom appeared at Saturday night’s game, the Bananas kept the Eagles love going into Sunday with backwards hurdles and a few video clips that caused quite the reaction from Philly fans. One of the clips was from Quinyon Mitchell’s memorable Super Bowl parade celebration.

But this wasn’t the only Eagles reference we got from Sunday’s game. The Texas Tailgaters’ soundtrack was infiltrated with a number of “Go Birds,” resulting in them restarting their choreography over and over again. Wasn’t much of an issue for Eagles fans in attendance.

Fans showed love to the Super Bowl champs throughout the game, especially during the rain delay.

Professional wrestler Luigi Primo made a quick appearance during Sunday’s game. Primo is known for his pizza-making persona, using pizza dough as a weapon when it comes to his moves in the wrestling ring. The Texas resident put those skills on display with at the Savannah Bananas game.