Truist Stadium is built into a gently sloping hill just off US Hwy 421 which presented unique architectural challenges. What they beheld was a jaw-droppingly gorgeous modern ballpark that boasted one of the Minor Leagues’ largest video boards, unique seating sections beyond the right field wall, creative architectural touches like a bridge that connects the first-base side to right field much the way the ballpark’s location links downtown and residential areas.įrom behind home plate or anywhere else in the main grandstand, fans are treated to a view of the downtown Winston-Salem skyline behind the outfield. When Dash supporters first walked through the gates, however, the wait had been more than worth it. After the Warthogs-turned-Dash departed in 2010, the stadium became permanent home to Wake Forest University baseball.īaseball fans in Winston-Salem had to wait a bit longer than originally expected for their much-anticipated new ballpark when construction delays and controversies pushed its opening back from the 2009 season to 2010. Shore passed away in Winston-Salem in 1980. From 1956-2009, the franchise played its home games at what was then known as Ernie Shore Field, named after a pitcher who spent seven years in the big leagues from 1912-20 and helped fundraise for the ballpark in the 1950s. Winston-Salem clubs also went by the names Cardinals, Red Birds, Red Sox, Spirits and Warthogs before becoming the modern day Dash. ![]() The “Twins” name, a reference to the two cities the club represented, survived in various league contexts from its debut in 1905 until 1942 before being resurrected in the Carolina League from 1954-56. Reynolds Tobacco Company.įor well over a century, the city has hosted baseball with its teams taking up residence in the Carolina League from 1945 until 2019, the longest-tenured franchise in the history of that iconic circuit. Known as the Camel City due to the famous cigarette brand, Winston-Salem is still home to the headquarters of the R.J. Tobacco communities abounded throughout North Carolina, and Winston-Salem was one of the most notable. ![]() The cities of Winston and Salem, however, were technically separate until 1913 when a referendum united them. Professional baseball in what is now North Carolina’s fifth-largest metropolis dates back to 1905 when the aptly named Winston-Salem Twins were born in the Virginia-North Carolina League. Today’s city of Winston-Salem has a quirky baseball history in that it has hosted teams that went by the “Winston-Salem” designation since back before the community itself officially did.
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