Former New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson made a surprise appearance as a baseball player when he stepped in as a pinch-hitter for the Savannah Bananas in their recent game.
The free-agent NFL player was in The Bronx at Yankee Stadium on April 26 as the Bananas were playing against the Party Animals, according to ESPN. As the announcer introduced
him in the fifth inning, causing baseball fans to react in excitement, he stepped up to the plate after acknowledging the crowd. He ended up hitting the ball into the infield, where he was thrown out near first base, nearly colliding with the opposing player, ending the inning.According to Heavy, this was not the quarterback’s first time on a baseball diamond, as Wilson played college baseball before setting his sights on a football career. Wilson played baseball in high school at Collegiate High School in Richmond, Virginia, and at North Carolina State University from 2008 to 2010. He was actually drafted two times in the Major League Baseball (MLB) Amateur Draft. In the 2007 June amateur draft, the Baltimore Orioles selected him in the 41st round. The Colorado Rockies took him in the fourth round of the 2010 June amateur draft.
Wilson also played for the Gastonia Grizzlies in the summer of 2009, alongside Jesse Cole, who was the team’s general manager and also founded the traveling baseball-entertainment Bananas. Wilson acknowledged that Cole, who invited him to play, was the person who recruited him to play for the Grizzlies.
“Fun Times with the Fans! My kids loved the day! Thanks, Jesse Cole, for the Call! I remember you were my GM when I was 19 years old!”
The Party Animals beat the Bananas, 7-2, for their second loss of the year.
Wilson last played for the New York Giants during the 2025-26 NFL season.
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