Handful of former Phillies surprise fans at CBP with Savannah Bananas in town

While the Philadelphia Phillies hit the road this weekend, Citizens Bank Park was still the place to be. For the first time in the history of the tour, the Savannah Bananas and Party Animals took over South Philly, bringing Banana Ball to the City of Brotherly Love.

Banana Ball, which is centered around putting fans first, is full of trick plays, singing, dancing, and all-around good fun. Even though the Bananas lost to the Party Animals on Saturday night, the entertainment was a welcome distraction after the Phillies lost 6-3 to the Mets earlier in the day.

Handful of former Phillies surprise fans at CBP with Savannah Bananas in town

First up, the Bananas introduced Shane Victorino in the bottom of the third inning. The fans at Citizens Bank Park gave him a standing ovation as he stepped to the plate.

While the 43-year-old grounded out to second, it wasn't his first Banana Ball appearance. In May of last year, the Flyin' Hawaiian entered a game in Las Vegas and delivered with a walk-off hit in the seventh inning.

Victorino spent parts of eight seasons with the Phillies, earning three Gold Gloves for his play in the outfield and two All-Star nods during that tenure. During the 2008 playoffs, he put up a .269/.481/.826 slash line.

Two innings later, the Bananas announced the next Phillie making an appearance — pitcher Joe Blanton.

In 2008, the Phillies brought Blanton in via a trade with the Oakland A's, and he went on to hit his first career home run in Game 4 of the World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays. In the 2008 postseason, in general, he gave the team three solid starts, tallying a 3.18 ERA through 17 innings.

Overall, the right-hander spent five seasons with the Phillies, putting up a 4.47 ERA across 616 1/3 innings. On Saturday, the 43-year-old came in with two runners on and Jake Skole at the plate for the Party Animals. It took all of two pitches for Blanton to get him to turn one over to first base to record the trick-play out.

Ageless wonder Jamie Moyer was the next 2008 Phillies player to take the mound in the top of the seventh.

The 61-year-old gave up a hit on his first pitch thrown, but he worked the count full against the next batter before inducing a groundout to shortstop to end the inning.

Overall, Moyer spent 25 years in the big leagues, with five of those coming in Philadelphia and a career ERA of 4.25. In 2008, at the age of 45, the left-hander was a valuable contributor to the team, as he put up a 3.71 ERA in 196 1/3 innings across 33 starts. After struggling through his first two starts that postseason, he pitched a gem in Game 3 of the World Series, only giving up three earned runs in 6 1/3 innings.

To round out the appearances, the Bananas saved an MVP for last. In the bottom of the eighth, Ryan Howard made his way to the plate as the Golden Batter, and as expected, the fans at Citizens Bank Park showed him some love as they roared to their feet.

While Howard struck out on three pitches, as the announcers noted, the 44-year-old was facing one of the best pitchers on the tour, Drew Gillespie. The 2006 National League MVP and three-time All-Star took it all in stride as he walked off the field, though.

During the 2008 season, the first baseman led all of baseball with 48 home runs and 146 RBI. In the five World Series games that year, he put up a .286/.375/.762 slash with three home runs and six RBI. Overall, he spent his full 13-year MLB career with the Phillies and finished with 382 home runs and 1,194 RBI in the big leagues.

Beyond just the 2008 reunion, the event honored the culture and sports of Philly

In addition to honoring the 2008 World Series team, the organizers of Banana Ball pulled out all of the stops to appeal to Philly sports fans, including a nod to the Philly Special and the Eagles' tush push. And everything from music selections — including Bryson Stott's walk-up song, "A-OK" — to Mummers costumes paid tribute to the City of Brotherly Love.

As Jesse Cole, owner of the Bananas, shared, they also played the song that has carried the Phillies into the postseason the past two seasons:

Cole also noted that the sellout crowd of 45,000 was a new Banana Ball record.

And after the game, when Cole was speaking on the broadcast, two Bananas players gave a nod to the Phillies Daycare, armed with a couple of cups of water as they snuck up behind them on the field.

While this marked the first time the Savannah Bananas played at Citizens Bank Park, Cole made it clear that he's open to returning to the venue, so it's safe to say this won't be the last time Philly fans get the opportunity to watch Banana Ball in the city.

The Phillies return to Citizens Bank Park on Monday for a three-game set against the Chicago Cubs. The team and fans alike will be hoping the team can clinch an NL East title and keep the party vibes going.

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