Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is not exactly known for its Italian beef, but the High-A Winston-Salem Dash will wear jerseys featuring the sandwiches later this season. Italian beef sandwiches—made of slow roasted beef and giardiniera, an Italian relish of pickled vegetables—are a signature food item in Chicago, where the Dash’s parent club, the White Sox, play.
Per the team, the one-time alternate identity is related to a failed attempt by Dash President and General Manager Brian DeAngelis to eat nine Italian Beef sandwiches in nine innings on May 25, National Italian Beef Day. The end result of the failed challenge was DeAngelis promising to serve as the Dash bat boy for a game later this season, but all the talk about Italian Beef got the team thinking, and the rebrand was born.
“Baseball in North Carolina has tremendous ties to the city of Chicago by hosting their Triple-A, High-A, and A affiliates. We at the Dash thought it was only right to celebrate our 25-plus year connection to the White Sox by rebranding as the Italian Beef,” DeAngelis said.
The red, white, and green jerseys evoke the Italian Flag, and the “Italian Beef” wordmark across the chest is meant to mimic the USDA beef inspection stamp. Red, white, and green caps feature a red bull on the front as tribute to both Chicago sports and the beef of this Chicago sandwich.
The team will wear Italian Beef uniforms July 19, the same day DeAngelis is set to serve as bat boy.
