Russell Wilson swapped his football cleats for baseball spikes Sunday, suiting up with the Savannah Bananas for a Banana Ball game at Yankee Stadium in a full-circle moment more than 15 years in the making.
Wilson, the veteran NFL quarterback, made his Banana Ball debut at the iconic Bronx stadium, stepping into the batter’s box as part of the Bananas’ signature brand of baseball entertainment.
Wilson, Savannah Bananas founder Jesse Cole go back more than 15 years
The appearance was a homecoming of sorts. Wilson played for the Gastonia Grizzlies, a summer collegiate baseball team, in 2009. That team was owned by Jesse Cole, the same showman who went on to found the Savannah Bananas and turn them into a viral sensation.
“What a full-circle moment,” the Bananas broadcast team said as Wilson took the field.
Wilson’s at-bat ended with a groundout to first base, but the play was anything but ordinary. Bananas player Jason Swann fielded a broken bat grounder between his legs and flipped it in trademark Banana Ball fashion, nearly colliding with Wilson at first base on what amounted to a trick play.
Wilson, long known as “Mr. Unlimited” during his NFL career, appeared to embrace the spectacle.
The former Super Bowl champion with the Seattle Seahawks has long had ties to baseball. Wilson was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the fourth round of the 2010 MLB Draft and briefly played minor league baseball before committing to football full-time.
Wilson spent 10 seasons with the Seahawks before stints with the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Savannah Bananas have become one of the most popular attractions in American sports, selling out stadiums across the country with their blend of athletic skill and entertainment. Their appearance at Yankee Stadium marked another milestone for the organization that Cole built from a small-town summer ball operation into a national phenomenon.
This story was originally posted on MyNorthwest.com
Manda Factor is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News”on KIRO Newsradio. Follow Manda on X and email her here.
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