DUBAI: Baseball United, the first professional league focused on the Middle East and Indian subcontinent, has announced that Major League Baseball All-Star Luis Severino has joined its investment and ownership group.

At age 29, Severino becomes Baseball United’s youngest MLB co-owner, and second currently active in Major League Baseball, the group said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Dominican Republic native played his first eight seasons for the New York Yankees and signed with the New York Mets earlier this year. Severino was selected for back-to-back All-Star Games in 2017 and 2018, finishing among the league’s top 10 strikeout leaders in both years.

He also led all Major League pitchers with an average fastball velocity of 157 kph in both years, and placed third in American League Cy Young voting in 2017. Severino has earned 54 career wins thus far in his career.

“We are very excited and honored to welcome Luis into our Baseball United ownership group,” said Kash Shaikh, chairman, CEO and co-founder of Baseball United. “He is not only one of the best young pitchers of this generation, he’s also an inspiring global ambassador for the sport. Like our other MLB Co-Owners, Sevy is passionate about teaching and growing the game. He is a perfect addition to our team, and we can’t wait to see him on the field again in New York this year.”

Baseball United began play in Dubai last November with its inaugural All-Star Showcase, the first professional baseball games in the history of the region. The event was broadcast in 127 countries, reaching 200 million households.

The league’s ownership group now includes 15 MLB legends, including Barry Larkin, Mariano Rivera, Adrian Beltre, Felix Hernandez, Robinson Cano, Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols. The league is scheduled to announce its 2024 plans later this year.

“I am thrilled to join Kash, John (Miedreich), and all the Co-Owners at Baseball United on this journey,” said Severino. “Not only is this league going to be great for the game of baseball, it’s going to be great for the community. I am especially excited to work with the younger kids and to teach them how to pitch, how to play, and how to respect the sport. I’m excited to see what this part of the world can do in the world of baseball.”