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silive.com: Atlantic League officially approves new team coming to Staten Island

silive.com: Atlantic League officially approves new team coming to Staten Island

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Baseball is officially coming back to the borough’s North Shore.

On Monday, the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) board of directors approved the application of Staten Island Entertainment LLC to join the league, with a Staten Island team expected to begin play in 2022.

“We are thrilled to welcome Staten Island to the ranks of the Atlantic League,” said league President Rick White. “Their ownership group has demonstrated a clear passion for the Borough of Staten Island, along with a sophisticated approach necessary to succeed in the City of New York. This bodes well for their success.”

The team will play their home games at Richmond County Bank Ballpark in St. George, with the ballpark set to receive more than $8 million from the city to upgrade the stadium with a turf field and new seating.

The team, which has yet to be named, replaces the now-defunct Staten Island Yankees, who were lost in the contraction of 40 minor league teams by Major League Baseball at the end of 2020.

The new team’s investor group consists of: Manhattan billionaire John Catsimatidis; former New Jersey politico Eric Shuffler; Dany Garcia (the ex-wife of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson); Yankee Global Enterprises; RedBird Capital, and Saturday Night Live comedians Pete Davidson and Colin Jost, both Staten Islanders.

Catsimatidis and Shuffler are currently soliciting input from Staten Islanders for the new team’s name, announcing a naming contest last week on Catsimatidis’ nightly “Cats at Night” radio show on WABC Radio (770-AM).

To submit a name, all Islanders have to do is either go to WABC Radio’s website (wabcradio.com/category/contests/) and click on the “Name Your Team” button or email [email protected].

Ten contest participants will be randomly selected to receive four free tickets and throw out the first pitch at a game next year. Winners will also receive a swag pack from the new team.

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