On Friday night, the Savannah Bananas played the first of two sell-out games from Bank of America Stadium—the home of the Carolina Panthers. And before the first pitch was thrown, team creator and owner Jesse Cole addressed the 74,000 fans in attendance.

The Savannah Bananas, a Georgia-based, theatrically-driven baseball team founded by a Charlotte-area native, delighted more than 70,000 people on their first night in the Queen City.