Orioles legend Jim Palmer eats his 1st chicken wing after grand slam bet

Bennett Conlin, Baltimore Sun on Apr 30, 2026

Published in Baseball

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BALTIMORE — Adley Rutschman and Jeremiah Jackson accomplished something the Orioles hadn’t in over a decade. In doing so, they forced Jim Palmer to attempt a first.

Palmer, who went viral last April by admitting that he had never eaten a chicken wing, tried his first on Thursday afternoon in the MASN broadcast booth. His taste test on Thursday stemmed from a bet with broadcaster Kevin Brown last April that he’d try one if the Orioles hit a grand slam in a game he was calling. Rutschman and Jackson both drove in four runs with one swing in Thursday’s 10-3 win over the Astros — the first time two Orioles players hit grand slams in the same game since 2015 — sparking Palmer to overcome his peculiar avoidance.

Palmer shared disappointment in Astros center fielder Brice Matthews, who nearly robbed Rutschman’s home run in left-center field, but his collision with the wall knocked the ball out of his glove and over the fence.

“Brice Matthews should’ve caught that ball,” Palmer said, seconds before taking a bite.

The verdict from Palmer’s first taste of a highly popular food among sports fans?

“These are pretty good,” he said. “What have I missed all these years?”

The 80-year-old Orioles legend and Hall of Fame pitcher is apparently a picky eater. During the April broadcast a year ago, he explained his disdain for certain chicken products.

“Don’t they have skin and stuff?” Palmer asked, later adding that he doesn’t like to eat chicken skin, even taking the crust off of fried chicken.

“What is this?” Brown said, incredulous.

“Never thought about having it,” Palmer said of chicken wings.

He changed his tune Thursday, as Brown and fellow broadcaster Rob Long reacted delightedly in the booth.

“This is television gold,” Long said. “I’m so happy to be a part of this.”

Long joked that the moment almost didn’t come to be. Long walked through the ballpark looking for wings, but said many spots were closed during the opening game of Thursday’s doubleheader.

“That would’ve [made] my day,” Palmer said.

Fortunately — for Long and MASN viewers — the PR staff stepped in to find Palmer wings. Given his reaction, Thursday’s bite might not be his last.

“I do like green eggs and ham,” Brown quipped. “Thank you! Thank you, Sam-I-am.”