Love it or hate it, Banana Ball came up with the coolest way to settle a tie in sports

There's no shortage of opinions from baseball fans on Banana Ball

. Some love it; others are firmly on the other side, strongly preferring the game of baseball that fans have known their entire lives. Regardless, one thing that's become undeniable is that Savannah Bananas founder Jesse Cole has found something that works for the audience it's designed for, and there are stadiums full of fans who would attest to that.

Whether you're a fan of Banana Ball or just see moments on your social media feed, there's likely been something that's caught your eye as at least a unique approach to the beloved game of baseball. Obviously, we aren't going to see a Banana Ball rule injected into MLB, but from a purely enjoyment standpoint, there's no question

that their rule for breaking a tie will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Banana Ball's "Showdown Tiebreakers" are a penalty kick shootout of sorts, but it brings some various twists along the way. In a recent game, there were five rounds of the Showdown Tiebreaker, something that had never happened before.

This was one of the craziest endings to a Banana Ball game EVER 🤯

For the first time in our young sports history, we saw FIVE rounds of Showdown Tiebreakers between the Savannah Bananas and Indianapolis Clowns ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/zA4Ixc4C5v

— Banana Ball (@BananaBall_) August 19, 2026

The Banana Ball account on X also laid out how Showdown Tiebreakers work, with each of the three initial rounds having different rules, and each round after following the third-round rules:

"Here is a refresher on the Showdown Tiebreaker rule: If the game is tied at the end of the two-hour time limit, the game will go into a Showdown Tiebreaker. In each Showdown, the hitter must score. If they score, it’s worth one point. If they get out, it’s worth no points, and it’s called a Showdown Shutdown."

• ROUND 1: Pitcher, catcher, and one fielder vs one hitter
• ROUND 2: Pitcher and catcher vs one hitter.
• ROUND 3+: Pitcher, catcher, and one fielder vs one hitter with bases loaded.

I'm not saying I want to see this happen in a game in the majors, or even the minors, for that matter. But for a recreational softball league or any other various baseball league that's specifically for "fun?" I'll take this method to break ties all day.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Love it or hate it, Banana Ball came up with the coolest way to settle a tie in sports