Like a closer jogging to the mound to finish a ninth inning, John Abbamondi and Ben Boyer wanted this deal done.

Abbamondi and Boyer, co-founders of Prospector Baseball Group (PBG), are the new owners and operators of the Akron RubberDucks franchise. Major League Baseball approved the sale from former owner and CEO Ken Babby to PBG, and the deal was officially announced Dec. 9.

Babby, who owned the team since October 2012, is part of an ownership group with the Tampa Bay Rays.

PBG’s goal is to acquire several minor league franchises over time — roughly 15, though that’s a loose number — with the RubberDucks and Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, the other minor leauge franchise owned by Babby before this deal, being among the first.

So, why the RubberDucks? It largely came down to the community support, 7 17 Credit Union Park and the job that Babby had done with the team in a little more than a decade.

“First of all, you have a beautiful ballpark there in downtown Akron, and a rabid fan base,” Abbamondi said via Zoom. “The support that the community gives to this ball club is really extraordinary. I think it’s one of the iconic franchises in all of Minor League Baseball, certainly within Double-A.”

The deal came together quickly.

“When the opportunity came along to acquire the franchise, it was a pretty quick decision for us,” Abbamondi said. “In fact, Major League Baseball has told us that we may hold the unofficial record for the fastest closing of a minor league team. So, you can tell we were eager to get going.”

Abbamondi and Boyer have toured Akron and met Mayor Shammas Malik, commenting on some of the nearby development projects. They also noted that while they’ll be in Akron “often,” Jim Pfander will continue to act as president and general manager.

And due to how the RubberDucks have been running as a franchise, they aren’t necessarily looking to shake things up too much, at least in certain respects.

“We’re going to be there a lot, but I do want to make one thing very clear, which is that neither Ben nor I are the president or general manager of the RubberDucks — that’s Jim Pfander,” Abbamondi said. “Jim’s the face of the franchise, as far as I’m concerned. We view our role as supporting Jim and supporting his staff, giving them the resources that they need to deliver for our fans.”

Akron RubberDucks name change not likely

Babby is allowing PBG to continue to use the “Affordable Family Fun” slogan that has been used for years at 7 17 Credit Union Park.

“I think the catchphrase of “Affordable Family Fun” really sums up what Ken stood for, and he’s allowing us to continue using that catchphrase because it embodies everything we think as well when it comes to minor league baseball,” Abbamondi said. “It has to be accessible to fans. … The hot dog is $2.50? Yeah, that’s not changing.”

They say the team name won’t be going anywhere, either. When asked about any plans for the RubberDucks name — formerly the Aeros — Abbamondi said, “To keep it.”

“Yeah, we love it. I think it’s one of the best names in all of sports,” Abbamondi said. “We’re not screwing that up.”