Joey Chestnut, crowd of 8,753 watch Olive Burgers bite off a 7-4 victory

LANSING, Mich. – With the World’s Greatest Eater, Joey Chestnut, in attendance amid a crowd of 8,753, Euribiel Ángeles swatted a grand slam, and the Lansing Olive Burgers (15-24, 46-58) grilled the Fort Wayne TinCaps, 7-4, on Thursday night at Jackson® Field™.

In the appetizer, held atop the visitors dugout on the third base side, Chestnut ate 13 olive burgers in five minutes to set a new olive burger eating record.

But the main course, it turned out, was salami.

Tonight was a Mustard Belt worthy performance.

📽️ pic.twitter.com/Iw9iZiuwpb

— Lansing Lugnuts (@LansingLugnuts) August 11, 2023

Lansing had not hit a grand slam since Cooper Bowman at South Bend on September 3, 2022, before Ángeles – who had played for Fort Wayne in 2021 before getting traded by San Diego to Oakland in April 2022 – capped a five-run third inning with a blast to left off Victor Lizarraga.

Daniel Susac, freshly back from the Injured List, added an RBI single in the sixth inning against Ethan Routzahn, and Lansing was on its way to its first win in the six-game series.

Starter Jose Dicochea tossed four innings, striking out three while allowing four runs on five hits and two walks. The Lansing bullpen followed with an untouchable performance: two perfect innings from Jack Owen, striking out two; two hitless innings from Christian Fernandez, striking out four; and a scoreless ninth from Pedro Santos, who gave up a Nathan Martorella double and then whiffed three straight to finish off the game and earn his second save.

In the win, Lansing DH T.J. Schofield-Sam reached base in all four of his at-bats, collecting two singles and two HBPs.

Friday, the fourth game of the six-game series, is Defenders of the Diamond Night with LAFCU Fireworks following the 7:05 p.m. game. Gates open at 6 p.m. Tickets are available at the stadium box office, via lansinglugnuts.com or by calling (517) 485-4500 during office hours.

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