Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon

Winston-Salem Dash to become the Hyphens

For one night, White Sox affiliate will be grammatically correct
@Steph_Sheehan
May 5, 2023

“Isn’t it technically a hyphen?” High-A Winston-Salem staffers have heard this countless times since the team rebranded from the Warthogs to the Dash in 2009. And yes, the “dash” between Winston and Salem is, technically, a hyphen. But the “Hyphens” don’t really make for a good baseball team name. At

“Isn’t it technically a hyphen?”

High-A Winston-Salem staffers have heard this countless times since the team rebranded from the Warthogs to the Dash in 2009. And yes, the “dash” between Winston and Salem is, technically, a hyphen. But the “Hyphens” don’t really make for a good baseball team name.

At least, they didn’t before.

On Saturday, the White Sox affiliate will embrace grammatical accuracy and become the Hyphens for one night only. According to the team website, the name switch will “pay homage to our home-town” which merged together in 1913.

"As we learned what a hyphen really does, instead of breaking up words like a dash, it actually joins them together," Winston-Salem president Brian DeAngelis said. "We're just attempting to join our two cities -- which is now one city -- together. That means bringing our community together."

To the uninitiated, a baseball team called the Dash isn’t anything extraordinary; after all, speedy players dash around the diamond every game. But a little bit of context goes a long way in celebrating the club’s unique moniker.

Winston-Salem has gone through several name and affiliate changes over the years. First they were the Twins, referring to the “twin cities” of Winston and Salem -- and most recently the Warthogs before the opening of a new stadium in 2010 prompted the rebrand. The Winston-Salem Journal conducted a contest to choose the new name, and the Dash was ultimately selected by members of the community.

But in naming the team after punctuation, people were quick to point out the mark was actually a hyphen, not a dash, and the name has been met with complaints for years from fans all around the country.

Other MiLB teams even got in on the roasting, most famously the Myrtle Beach Pelicans' "Punctuation Night" nearly 14 years ago, when ballpark staff wore t-shirts with punctuation marks on them and the team took "great pains to be grammatically correct at all times."

As with every minor controversy, though, the franchise ultimately chose to acknowledge and even satiate the grammar nerds with the Hyphens' name for a night. The club will ultimately be using the night to celebrate the community, featuring different parts of the city throughout the game and even having the mayor proclaim that May 6, 2023 will by "Hyphens Day" in Winston-Salem.

Of course, even with all the honoring of the community, the club will still have fun with it.

"The grammar nerds in particular spearheaded this whole thing, at least the response to it," DeAngelis said. "We pretty much changed our whole in-game show. We're gonna be doing a lot of educational series, meaning like, 'Is it hyphenated or is it not hyphenated?' We're gonna have a little bit of fun with it. Our emcees have been reading the dictionary all week long, so we're ready."

Stephanie Sheehan is an contributor for MiLB.com.

14 prospects to follow for as Rookie ball gets underway

@SamDykstraMiLB
May 2, 2025

Who is ready for another Opening Day? The Arizona and Florida Complex Leagues begin play Saturday, officially kicking off the Rookie-level portion of the 2025 Minor League schedule. That might still feel early for those who have been following the Minors for a while. The Complex League schedules were moved

Here are the 2024 Rookie-level All-Stars and award winners

@brendan_samson
August 29, 2024

As the four full-season levels of Minor League Baseball enter the last leg of their 2024 campaigns, award season is officially upon us. Kicking off the festivities is the Rookie-level leagues. Starting in the Arizona Complex League, Rockies outfielder Robert Calaz took home MVP honors, with San Francisco’s Jacob Bresnahan

High-scoring Tigers roar to FCL title

Rookie-level Florida Complex League champs sweep playoffs
@benweinrib
July 29, 2024

The first championship of the 2024 Minor League season belongs to the Rookie-level Florida Complex League Tigers. After making the FCL playoffs as a wild card, the Tigers won all three of their postseason games, including a sweep of the FCL Pirates that they capped off with a 12-1 win

FCL Phillies throw first no-no of Complex League

Righties Segura, Peralta and Garcia combine on milestone feat
May 11, 2024

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- The first no-hitter of the 2024 Florida Complex League came on Saturday, as Enrique Segura and a pair of relievers -- Adilson Peralta and Josbel Garcia -- held the FCL Tigers without a hit, leading the FCL Phillies to a 5-0 win at the Carpenter Complex. "It's

Watch for these 10 Complex league prospects

Eight position players making U.S. debuts in Rookie-level ball
May 7, 2024

The Rookie-level Arizona Complex and Florida Complex leagues began play Saturday, a month earlier than they did a year ago. The changes mean that the circuits will be populated more by players making the jump from the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League the season before and less by guys coming out

José Abreu agrees to be optioned to Minors to work through struggles

Former AL MVP assigned to Astros' Florida Complex League roster
April 30, 2024

HOUSTON -- Astros first baseman José Abreu agreed to be optioned to the Minor Leagues, general manager Dana Brown said Tuesday. The move will be effective on Wednesday, with a corresponding roster move to be announced then. Abreu will report to the Astros' Spring Training facility in West Palm Beach,

Baseball America's top 2024 prospects to watch in the Florida Complex League

Phillies' No. 5 prospect among the young players to keep an eye on as FCL returns
May 9, 2024

Phillies shortstop Starlyn Caba enters the 2024 season as the top player to watch in the Florida Complex League according to Baseball America, headlining the Rookie-level circuit as it returns for another summer in the Sunshine State. Caba, who is ranked as the Phillies' No. 5 prospect by MLB.com, was

Florida Complex League season begins May 4

Fans invited to attend FCL games at no cost
May 9, 2024

BALTIMORE -- The Orioles’ year-round baseball operations continue in Sarasota, Fla. with the Florida Complex League (FCL) Orioles, who begin play on Saturday, May 4, at Ed Smith Stadium. TheFCL O’s are scheduled to play 30 home games between May 4 and July 25, with potential playoffs from July 27-30.

2023 Rookie-level playoffs coverage

ACL Brewers join FCL Braves as Complex League champions
August 28, 2023

Aug. 27

Yankees top pick Lombard Jr. doubles in debut

New York's No. 6 prospect reaches base three times in Florida Complex League
August 18, 2023

Yankees first-round pick George Lombard Jr. made his Minor League debut on Friday, collecting a double and a pair of walks for the Yankees' Rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate in Tampa. Lombard Jr., who is ranked by MLB.com as the Yankees' No. 6 prospect, hit second in the lineup and

Skenes delivers impressive showcase in pro debut

No. 1 overall pick flashes dominance in first inning with FCL Pirates
August 10, 2023

Right-hander Paul Skenes made his first appearance since being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, retiring all three batters he faced for the Rookie-level Florida Coast League Pirates on Thursday.

Well, this is new: Clark wallops his first walk-off HR

No. 3 overall pick quickly finding groove as he starts Tigers' career
@JesseABorek
August 8, 2023

For all of the accolades that Max Clark accumulated throughout a storied high school career that featured three Gatorade Indiana Player of the Year honors, one national Gatorade Player of the Year honor and a gold medal with Team USA on the 18U squad, he needed to wait until his

Nats' Crews goes 3-for-3 in pro debut

No. 2 overall Draft pick scores three runs in Rookie ball
August 3, 2023

The Dylan Crews hype train has officially left the station. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 Draft made his pro debut in the Florida Complex League on Thursday, going a perfect 3-for-3, including a double off the right-field wall in his first at-bat. Crews also scored three runs