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2026 rules

Banana Ball rules

Banana Ball is baseball made faster and louder. Here is every rule in our own words, with real numbers from official box scores and a season by season history of how the rules changed.

The 11 core rules

Rule 1

Win the inning, get the point

Each inning is worth one point, earned by the team that scores more runs in it.

 Rule 2

Two hour time limit

No new inning may begin once two hours have passed.

 Rule 3

No stepping out

A hitter who steps out of the batter's box is charged a strike.

 Rule 4

No bunting

Bunting is banned; a hitter who bunts is ejected.

 Rule 5

Batters can steal first

The hitter may try to steal first base on any pitch of the at-bat, on a passed ball or wild pitch.

 Rule 6

No walks: ball four is a sprint

Ball four starts a sprint: the batter runs while every defensive player on the field has to touch the ball before it is live again.

 Rule 7

No mound visits

No one (coach, catcher or any other player) may visit the mound; encourage the pitcher from a distance instead.

 Rule 8

A fan catching a foul ball is an out

If a fan catches a foul ball, the batter is out, but only on a clean catch (no bobbling or juggling).

 Rule 9

Showdown tiebreaker

A game tied when the two hours are up goes to a showdown tiebreaker; the hitter must come around to score for a point, and an out earns nothing (a "Showdown Shutdown").

 Rule 10

Team challenge

Each team gets one challenge, made by the coach throwing or shooting a challenge prop onto the field before the next pitch.

 Rule 11

Golden batter

Once per game a team may send any hitter in its lineup to bat in any spot, so its best hitter can bat in a key moment.

Other rules to know

Fan challenge

The fans also get one challenge per game, made through a fan representative who fires confetti and raises a "Fan Challenge" sign.

Trick play equalizer point

Both teams compete for trick plays; if the visitors have more trick plays than the home team going into the final inning, they get one extra point.

Trick pitch delivery

Trick pitches must be thrown from the rubber or as close to it as possible without gaining ground toward the plate; otherwise the umpire calls an automatic ball.

Designated hitter and extra hitter

Lineups have ten spots, including both a designated hitter and an extra hitter.

Designated runner

Each team may name a designated runner before the game, who can come in to run once per trip through the batting order.

Designated fielder

Each team may name a designated fielder before the game, who can enter in any inning at any position without penalty.

Showdown round point limits

In the showdown a team can score at most one point in rounds 1 and 2 and at most four points in round 3 and beyond.

Ball four in the showdown

Ball four in the showdown puts a runner on base (second base in rounds 1 and 2; second and third with two runs scoring in rounds 3 and up), and the count resets.

Quick answers

How long is a Banana Ball game?

No new inning can start after two hours, so most games finish in about two hours. More

How does scoring work in Banana Ball?

Each inning is worth one point, won by the team that scores more runs in it. In the final inning every run counts as a point. More

What happens on ball four?

There are no walks. Ball four is a sprint: the batter runs while the defense must touch the ball with every fielder before it is live. More

What happens if a fan catches a foul ball?

It is an out, as long as the catch is clean. More

Recent rule changes

Full rules history since 2020

Source: bananaball.com rules page, observed Nov 12, 2026. Rule summaries are written by NanaBall; the official page is the final word.