That Was Bananas: Waino Returns to the Mound at Busch

That party was … bananas.

Adam Wainwright back on the mound at Busch. A mid-game marriage proposal (she said yes). Sold-out crowds. A pitcher on stilts. Banana Beer. Even a Banana Bread cookie (at the stadium's Crumbl location).

Fun was at the top of the lineup this past weekend at Busch, as the Savannah Bananas came to town for two Banana Ball games against the Party Animals. Several Cardinals alumni were scheduled for surprise in-game participation over the two nights, beginning with Waino's pitching appearance Friday.

Clad in bright Banana yellow and sporting his familiar No. 50, the former Cardinal (who retired in 2023) entered to a standing ovation in the seventh and faced two hitters, surrendering a base hit before retiring the final batter of the half-inning.

"This feels like a mixture of a playoff game and a WWE wrestling match," declared Wainwright – no stranger to big events at Busch – as he observed some of the pregame festivities Friday with family. "It's definitely a show, which I appreciate."

The former world champ explained that, when he'd planned on participating during the Bananas' originally scheduled dates back in April (ultimately rained out), he'd started hardcore practicing – throwing long toss, working out again ("I was kind of out of shape," he insists) and even advancing to throw a bullpen. And then …

"I partially tore my rotator cuff trying to get ready for the Bananas game," Waino admits.

This time around, he says, he threw just once "officially," though he played some catch.

"I think I'd feel weirder (pitching) if I were healthy," he quipped before the game.

And it all played out in front of a sold-out crowd, a fact St. John Vianney grad and current Savannah Banana Noah Niznik was aware of even before he took the mound Friday and later performed a quick dance routine with teammates as the stadium reverberated with the sounds of Nelly's Country Grammar, which of course declares, "I'm from the Lou and I'm proud."

"I kind of knew we were going to do something for my hometown like that," he shared of the moment, explaining it's not uncommon for local Bananas to get in-game highlights based on the town they’re playing. Still, it was a collaborative effort: “I definitely wanted to give them the idea of doing Nelly."

Was he extra nervous, playing in front of the hometown crowd?

"I like a little bit more pressure," he shared pregame. "I feel like it makes me play better."

At a pregame show earlier that afternoon outside the stadium, parents hoisted kids on their shoulders for a better view as people of all ages packed the plaza at Ballpark Village. Meanwhile, inside Busch, "VIBs" – or Very Important Bananas – were serenaded onto the field by the Banana Band for a meet-and-greet with players. The VIBs included the Grant family – parents Tacy and Shayne, along with Loden, 11, and Jon David, 8 – who'd traveled from Mississippi for the game. The Grant boys, who play baseball, had discovered the Bananas on YouTube, and the VIB event offered a chance for them to meet some of their favorite players.

"It's our first time (seeing the Bananas), so we wanted the full experience," Tacy explains. "It was great. Good player interaction."

The extravaganza was courtesy of the Cardinals special events department, which worked for over a year to bring the Bananas' "World Tour" to Busch. Fans came from as far away as Hawaii and Canada to attend one of the two weekend games, with 45 states represented overall. The hype started more than 24 hours before first pitch, when people began lining up along the 8th street sidewalk Thursday outside Gate 3 to visit two brightly colored merchandising tents: Savannah Banana yellow, and Party Animal neon pink.

For the next 48 hours at Busch, yellow was the new red.