{"id":595923,"date":"2026-02-27T11:08:43","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T11:08:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/595923\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T11:08:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T11:08:43","slug":"the-indianapolis-clowns-are-back-2026-schedule-roster-former-mlb-players-how-to-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/595923\/","title":{"rendered":"The Indianapolis Clowns are back! 2026 schedule, roster, former MLB players, how to watch"},"content":{"rendered":"

1 \/ 17<\/p>\n

See best photos of Indianapolis Clowns preparing for 2026 Banana Ball season<\/p>\n

Fans fill the stands during a Secret Peel preseason Banana Ball game between the Party Animals and the Indianapolis Clowns on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at Historic Grayson Stadium.<\/p>\n

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1 \/ 17<\/p>\n

See best photos of Indianapolis Clowns preparing for 2026 Banana Ball season<\/p>\n

Fans fill the stands during a Secret Peel preseason Banana Ball game between the Party Animals and the Indianapolis Clowns on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at Historic Grayson Stadium.<\/p>\n

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2 \/ 17<\/p>\n

See best photos of Indianapolis Clowns preparing for 2026 Banana Ball season<\/p>\n

the Indianapolis Clowns Jackie Bradley, Jr, a former Red Sox All Star player, stands with his Banana Ball teammates during a Secret Peel preseason game against the Party Animals on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at Historic Grayson Stadium.<\/p>\n

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3 \/ 17<\/p>\n

See best photos of Indianapolis Clowns preparing for 2026 Banana Ball season<\/p>\n

Players from the Indianapolis Clowns sign autographs before a Secret Peel preseason Banana Ball game against the Party Animals on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at Historic Grayson Stadium.<\/p>\n

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4 \/ 17<\/p>\n

See best photos of Indianapolis Clowns preparing for 2026 Banana Ball season<\/p>\n

A player from the the Indianapolis Clowns signs an autograph for a young fan before the start a Secret Peel preseason Banana Ball game against the Party Animals on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at Historic Grayson Stadium.<\/p>\n

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5 \/ 17<\/p>\n

See best photos of Indianapolis Clowns preparing for 2026 Banana Ball season<\/p>\n

the Indianapolis Clowns take the field during a Secret Peel preseason Banana Ball game against the Party Animals on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at Historic Grayson Stadium.<\/p>\n

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6 \/ 17<\/p>\n

See best photos of Indianapolis Clowns preparing for 2026 Banana Ball season<\/p>\n

An Indianapolis Clowns player signs autographs before the start of a Secret Peel preseason Banana Ball game against the Party Animals on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at Historic Grayson Stadium.<\/p>\n

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7 \/ 17<\/p>\n

See best photos of Indianapolis Clowns preparing for 2026 Banana Ball season<\/p>\n

the Indianapolis Clowns dance on the field during a Secret Peel preseason Banana Ball game against the Party Animals on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at Historic Grayson Stadium.<\/p>\n

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8 \/ 17<\/p>\n

See best photos of Indianapolis Clowns preparing for 2026 Banana Ball season<\/p>\n

the Indianapolis Clowns warmup before the start of a Secret Peel preseason Banana Ball game against the Party Animals and on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at Historic Grayson Stadium.<\/p>\n

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9 \/ 17<\/p>\n

See best photos of Indianapolis Clowns preparing for 2026 Banana Ball season<\/p>\n

Flash the Kid watches as an Indianapolis Clowns teammate juggles during a Secret Peel preseason Banana Ball game against the Party Animals on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at Historic Grayson Stadium.<\/p>\n

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10 \/ 17<\/p>\n

See best photos of Indianapolis Clowns preparing for 2026 Banana Ball season<\/p>\n

the Indianapolis Clowns Clark gilmore sports a pair of sunglasses during a Secret Peel preseason Banana Ball game against the Party Animals on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at Historic Grayson Stadium.<\/p>\n

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11 \/ 17<\/p>\n

See best photos of Indianapolis Clowns preparing for 2026 Banana Ball season<\/p>\n

A young fan, stepping in as a Golden Batter, makes contact with the ball during a Secret Peel preseason Banana Ball game between the Party Animals and the Indianapolis Clowns on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at Historic Grayson Stadium.<\/p>\n

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12 \/ 17<\/p>\n

See best photos of Indianapolis Clowns preparing for 2026 Banana Ball season<\/p>\n

the Indianapolis Clowns dance on the field uring a Secret Peel preseason Banana Ball game the Party Animals on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at Historic Grayson Stadium.<\/p>\n

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13 \/ 17<\/p>\n

See best photos of Indianapolis Clowns preparing for 2026 Banana Ball season<\/p>\n

Former World Series Champion Ryan Howard, the primetime coach for the Indianapolis Clowns announces a city during the Banana Ball City Selection Show on Thursday, October 9, 2025 at Historic Grayson Stadium.<\/p>\n

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14 \/ 17<\/p>\n

See best photos of Indianapolis Clowns preparing for 2026 Banana Ball season<\/p>\n

Former World Series Champion Ryan Howard, the primetime coach for the Indianapolis Clowns announces a city during the Banana Ball City Selection Show on Thursday, October 9, 2025 at Historic Grayson Stadium.<\/p>\n

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15 \/ 17<\/p>\n

See best photos of Indianapolis Clowns preparing for 2026 Banana Ball season<\/p>\n

Jesse Cole announces former World Series Champion Ryan Howard as the primetime coach for the new Indianapolis Clowns during the Banana Ball City Selection Show on Thursday, October 9, 2025 at Historic Grayson Stadium.<\/p>\n

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16 \/ 17<\/p>\n

See best photos of Indianapolis Clowns preparing for 2026 Banana Ball season<\/p>\n

Indianapolis Clowns head coach Errick Fox announces a city during the Banana Ball City Selection Show on Thursday, October 9, 2025 at Historic Grayson Stadium.<\/p>\n

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17 \/ 17<\/p>\n

See best photos of Indianapolis Clowns preparing for 2026 Banana Ball season<\/p>\n

Bob Kendrick, president Negro League Hall of Fame announces the newest Banana Ball team the Indianapolis Clowns during the Banana Ball City Selection Show on Thursday, October 9, 2025 at Historic Grayson Stadium.<\/p>\n

The Indianapolis Clowns have been revived and their style of baseball rebranded. The growingly popular Savannah Bananas brought back the Clowns to become one of six teams to compete in Banana Ball.<\/p>\n

The Clowns played in the Negro Leagues in the 1930s and were around until 1989. But they’re back, with former MLB players as recognizable faces to the traveling baseball show.<\/p>\n

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An organization that gave Hank Aaron his professional start, ageless pitcher Satchel Paige drew massive crowds to Clowns games, and Toni Stone \u2014 who in 1953 became the first woman to play professionally in a men’s league when she joined the Clowns \u2014 are part of Clowns legend. But the reimagined version will channel that of performers such as Goose Tatum and Richard “King Tut” King from their time with the Clowns.<\/p>\n

\u201cBanana Ball is all about energy, entertainment, flipping the script \u2014 and you know what? That\u2019s exactly what the Negro Leagues brought to the game from day one. Flash. Innovation. Community and an unconditional love for the game. They were rockstars before the world called ballplayers that,” Clowns manager Errick Fox said.<\/p>\n

Banana Ball has become a traveling road show with six teams \u2014 the Clowns and Loco Beach Coconuts joining this season \u2014 that is fast-paced, high energy and puts an entertaining spin on America’s pastime. Tickets are affordable, if fans are lucky enough to win a chance to buy them through the lottery. Otherwise, it’s a pretty penny for sold-out games across the country.<\/p>\n

The Clowns have one trip to their Indianapolis home. They will play the Party Animals on May 15-16 at Victory Field.<\/p>\n

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Who is Jackie Bradley Jr.? Former Boston Red Sox outfielder, World Series champion, South Carolina Gamecock<\/p>\n

Jackie Bradley Jr. is uniquely prepared to join Banana Ball as a player. The 35-year-old played 11 Major League Baseball seasons, predominantly known as a defensive wizard for two Boston Red Sox World Series championships. He won a Gold Glove during the World Series-winning 2018 season, and had a defensive WAR of 9.9 for his career.<\/p>\n

Bradley was a career .225 hitter with 109 home runs, 204 doubles, 27 triples, 449 RBIs and stole 69 bases in 87 attempts.<\/p>\n

His final 308 games were split between the Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays, a return to the Red Sox after eight seasons there, and the Kansas City Royals.<\/p>\n

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A native of Richmond, Virginia, the 5-foot-10, 196-pound Bradley was selected in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft out of the University of South Carolina.<\/p>\n

Jackie Bradley Jr. highlightsWho is Ryan Howard? Philadelphia Phillies legend, Indianapolis Clowns primetime coach<\/p>\n

Ryan Howard spent all 13 of his MLB seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies and will now don a Clowns uniform as primetime coach.<\/p>\n

Howard won MLB rookie of the Year in 2005, then the league’s MVP in 2006. That year he led the league in home runs (58) and RBIs (149). He once more led the league in home runs and twice in RBIs.<\/p>\n

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Former World Series Champion Ryan Howard, the primetime coach for the Indianapolis Clowns announces a city during the Banana Ball City Selection Show on Thursday, October 9, 2025 at Historic Grayson Stadium.<\/p>\n

Indianapolis Clowns 2026 roster<\/p>\n

No.<\/p>\n

Name<\/p>\n

Position<\/p>\n

Hometown<\/p>\n

1<\/p>\n

Kirkland Banks<\/p>\n

Utility<\/p>\n

Lake Charles, LA<\/p>\n

2<\/p>\n

Jalen Vasquez<\/p>\n

Infield<\/p>\n

North Charleston, SC<\/p>\n

3<\/p>\n

Joe Gray<\/p>\n

Outfield<\/p>\n

Hattiesburg, MS<\/p>\n

4<\/p>\n

Gage Voorhees<\/p>\n

RHP<\/p>\n

Springfield, OH<\/p>\n

5<\/p>\n

Brian Dansereau<\/p>\n

Outfield<\/p>\n

Douglasville, GA<\/p>\n

7<\/p>\n

Bobby Lada<\/p>\n

Infield<\/p>\n

Houston, TX<\/p>\n

8<\/p>\n

Brett Maddock<\/p>\n

RHP<\/p>\n

Oakdale, CA<\/p>\n

9<\/p>\n

Chris Burgess<\/p>\n

Catcher<\/p>\n

Lithonia, GA<\/p>\n

11<\/p>\n

Correlle Prime<\/p>\n

RHP\/Infield<\/p>\n

Bradenton, FL<\/p>\n

12<\/p>\n

Niko Hulsizer<\/p>\n

Outfield<\/p>\n

Mohnton, PA<\/p>\n

13<\/p>\n

Clark Gilmore<\/p>\n

RHP<\/p>\n

Redding, CT<\/p>\n

15<\/p>\n

David Griffin<\/p>\n

RHP<\/p>\n

Hanover, MA<\/p>\n

16<\/p>\n

Eli Paton<\/p>\n

Infield<\/p>\n

La Canada, CA<\/p>\n

19<\/p>\n

Jackie Bradley Jr.<\/p>\n

Outfield<\/p>\n

Richmond, VA<\/p>\n

21<\/p>\n

Vinny Santarsiero<\/p>\n

RHP<\/p>\n

Gainesville, FL<\/p>\n

22<\/p>\n

Joe Lytle<\/p>\n

Catcher<\/p>\n

Yukon, OK<\/p>\n

24<\/p>\n

Kobe Robinson<\/p>\n

RHP<\/p>\n

Alcoa, TN<\/p>\n

25<\/p>\n

Dayan Reinoso<\/p>\n

RHP<\/p>\n

Hazelton, PA<\/p>\n

33<\/p>\n

Nick Wilson<\/p>\n

RHP<\/p>\n

Carrollton, TX<\/p>\n

34<\/p>\n

Daniel Foster<\/p>\n

LHP<\/p>\n

Rockledge, FL<\/p>\n

44<\/p>\n

Dale Francis Jr.<\/p>\n

Utility<\/p>\n

Fort Pierce, FL<\/p>\n

67<\/p>\n

Andrew Irvine<\/p>\n

RHP<\/p>\n

Clive, IA<\/p>\n

!<\/p>\n

Mat Wolf<\/p>\n

RHP\/2B\/ENT<\/p>\n

Yukon, OK<\/p>\n

\u221e<\/p>\n

Fisher Polydoroff<\/p>\n

RHP\/EH\/ENT<\/p>\n

Keller, TX<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf29<\/p>\n

Malachi “Flash Tha Kid” Mitchell<\/p>\n

EH\/DR<\/p>\n

Gainesville, FL<\/p>\n

Indianapolis Clowns 2026 schedule<\/p>\n

The Banana Ball Championship League will begin with a preseason called the Banana Ball Open from Feb. 26 to April 12. The 50-game regular season will run from April to September. The top three teams will compete against the winner of the Banana Ball Open to play in the Banana Bowl on Oct. 10, according to a press release. Here is the schedule:<\/p>\n

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Feb. 27: at Party Animals, Dick Howser Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida<\/p>\n

March 7-8: at Party Animals, Autozone Park, Memphis<\/p>\n

March 14-15: vs Texas Tailgaters, Dell Diamond, Round Rock, Texas<\/p>\n

March 21-22: at Firefighters, Riverwalk Stadium, Montgomery, Alabama<\/p>\n

March 27-28: at Savannah Bananas, Angel Stadium, Anaheim<\/p>\n

April 10-11: at Loco Beach Coconuts, Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park, Charleston, South Carolina<\/p>\n

April 16-19: Banana Ball Open, Grayson Stadium, Savannah, Georgia<\/p>\n

April 24-26: at Firefighters, Fluor Field, Greenville, South Carolina<\/p>\n

May 1-2: at Firefighters, Carmax Park, Richmond, Virginia<\/p>\n

May 7-9: at Texas Tailgaters, Oneok Field, Tulsa, Oklahoma<\/p>\n

May 15-16: vs Party Animals, Victory Field, Indianapolis<\/p>\n

May 22-24: at Party Animals, Cheney Stadium, Tacoma, Washington<\/p>\n

May 30-31: vs Savannah Bananas, Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City<\/p>\n

June 4-6: at Savannah Bananas, Grayson Stadium, Savannah, Georgia<\/p>\n

June 12-13: vs Texas Tailgaters, Kendrick Family Ballpark, Morgantown, West Virginia<\/p>\n

June 19-21: vs Savannah Bananas, Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati<\/p>\n

June 26-27: vs Firefighters, Newman Outdoor Field, Fargo, North Dakota<\/p>\n

July 2-4: at Loco Beach Coconuts, Vystar Ballpark, Jacksonville<\/p>\n

July 23-25: vs Party Animals, Dunkin’ Park, Hartfort, Connecticut<\/p>\n

July 31-Aug. 1: at Loco Beach Coconuts, Prince George’s Stadium, Bowie, Maryland<\/p>\n

Aug. 6-8: vs Texas Tailgaters, Fifth Third Park, Spartanburg, South Carolina<\/p>\n

Aug. 14-15: at Savannah Bananas, Coors Field, Denver<\/p>\n

Aug. 21-22: at Texas Tailgaters, Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, Oklahoma City<\/p>\n

Aug. 27-29: vs Firefighters, The Birdcage, Sioux Falls, South Dakota<\/p>\n

Sept. 11-13: vs Loco Beach Coconuts, Legends Field, Lexington, Kentucky<\/p>\n

Sept. 19-20: vs Loco Beach Coconuts, Rickwood Field, Birmingham, Alabama<\/p>\n

Sept. 25-26: at Party Animals, Progressive Field, Cleveland<\/p>\n

Oct. 1-4: Banana Ball Championship<\/p>\n

Indianapolis Clowns history<\/p>\n

The original Clowns were founded in the late 1930s as the Miami Giants before becoming the Ethiopian Clowns. After moving to Cincinnati in the early 1940s, the Clowns became the Indianapolis Clowns in 1943. The Clowns, known equally for their baseball skill and showmanship, were a barnstorming team playing in the waning years of the Negro Leagues.<\/p>\n

The Clowns played all over the United States, playing as many as three games in a day. After the 1951 season, the Clowns relocated to Buffalo but retained the Indianapolis Clowns name,\u00a0according to a article in the Buffalo News.<\/a><\/p>\n

How to watch the Indianapolis Clowns in Savannah Bananas baseball league in 2026<\/p>\n

Games will be live-streamed on the Savannah Bananas YouTube page<\/a>. Select games may be aired on television.<\/p>\n

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis Clowns 2026 roster, schedule, how to watch, history, tickets<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"1 \/ 17 See best photos of Indianapolis Clowns preparing for 2026 Banana Ball season Fans fill the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":595924,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[18828,5,48,535,135,53092,647,2123,55,778,59,4,17276,34495,25,25231,8032,8043,1567,77783,70],"class_list":["post-595923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-banana-ball","tag-baseball","tag-boston-red-sox","tag-cincinnati","tag-cleveland","tag-indianapolis-clowns","tag-jackie-bradley-jr","tag-kansas-city","tag-kansas-city-royals","tag-miami","tag-milwaukee-brewers","tag-mlb","tag-negro-leagues","tag-party-animals","tag-philadelphia-phillies","tag-ryan-howard","tag-savannah","tag-savannah-bananas","tag-texas","tag-the-clowns","tag-toronto-blue-jays"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/595923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=595923"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/595923\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/595924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=595923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=595923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=595923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}