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A-Rod welcomes NRG's new Gears of War team

Kim Klement / USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

(Note: This story originally appeared on theScore eSports.)

With all the public appearances that NRG eSports investor Shaquille O'Neal has made on behalf of his esports organization, you'd be forgiven for forgetting that former New York Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez has also invested in the pink and black.

But A-Rod stepped out of the esports dugout and up to the internet plate on Wednesday in a video that welcomed their new Gears of War roster to the organization.

"Super excited to get all you guys on board with the NRG family. I'm sure you guys are going to kill it this year," he said in the video.

For the normally talkative A-Rod, the short introduction was akin to his only defensive appearance of 2016, when he played third base for a single batter.

The roster, which was formerly known as Tragedy, will compete in the third-person shooter's Gears eSports Pro Circuit, which features a $1-million prize pool. The circuit boasts a number of different stops, with the first scheduled for Columbus from Nov. 25-27 where a $250,000 prize pool is on offer.

Team captain Yadiel "Sleepytime" Hidalgo said that the support from investors like A-Rod means a lot to the roster.

"With the rise of Gears in the eSports scene theres isn't a better time to grow, learn, and be part of something bigger," he wrote. "The NRG team is packed with intelligent individuals and smart investors like Shaq, A-Rod and Jimmy Rollins, so to be able to access that level of support is incredibly helpful to our ambition of being the best Gears team out there."

NRG's Gears of War team is as follows:

  • Yadiel "Sleepytime" Hidalgo
  • Marvin "Sir Sycamore" Moya
  • Marlon "Twist3dshot" Haynes
  • Frank "KO" Tibbs
  • Christopher "Xavier Celcius" Hill

Josh "Gauntlet" Bury corked his keyboard, but to no discernible effect. You can find him on Twitter.

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