It's always a good idea to show up to a Minor League Baseball game hungry. For some fans this year, it's going to be essential.
Joey Chestnut, the competitive eating champion made famous from years of domination at the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating competition, is hitting nine Minor League ballparks this season, and he's challenging fans in a unique munch-off at every single stop.
But this is not just another wienie roast. Every Minor League team Chestnut visits will be challenging the champ and his competitors with their ballpark's signature concession items -- from elevated takes on classic baseball foods to over-the-top combinations of local delicacies.
Last week, Chestnut kicked off the tour in Wichita, Kan., where the Wind Surge (Double-A affiliate of the Twins) suited up as the Wichita Chili Buns -- their alternate identity that's an homage to a regional favorite comfort dish that puts chili and cinnamon buns together in one formidable food. After the game, Chestnut took on 10 Wind Surge fans in a chili bun eating competition.
Unsurprisingly, the pro enjoyed a decisive victory, polishing off the 10 enormous chili buns placed in front of him in a matter of about three and a half minutes.
His next stop will be on May 5 at the home of the Triple-A affiliate of the Dodgers, where Oklahoma City Comets fans will take him on in a Cinco de Mayo-themed eating competition. After that, he has seven more Minor League stops scheduled throughout the season.
A couple teams have yet to announce the concessions items that Chestnut will chow down on, but it's already been established that his tour will involve massive, outrageously topped sandwiches (the Birmingham Rumble Ponies' Birming-Hammer); cider donuts (in honor of the High-A Hudson Valley Renegades' alternate identity); cheeseburger dogs (with fans of the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils); pierogi (at the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders' park); and a four-item "Bratoberfest" platter (with the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers).
One of the stops on this tour, the July 18 Memphis Redbirds game, is also eligible for a $10-ticket deal that's good through Tuesday, April 28.
Although this is the first extensive Minor League tour for Chestnut, he's hardly a stranger. Last year, he ate 79 wings in about five minutes in a competition against a team of three Syracuse Mets fans, who ate an impressive 67.
Additionally, Chestnut once demolished ice cream with the Toledo Mud Hens and set a popcorn-eating record with the Indianapolis Indians, where he also crushed ginormous servings of potato chips and downed a 24-ounce beer bat in five seconds.