Now batting: Pinnacle’s baseball league

It’s baseball season and the Pinnacle Group, which has been investigated by the state attorney general and the Manhattan district attorney for allegedly trying to remove rent-stabilized tenants, is pitching something it hopes will bring some good PR. It has sponsored the New York City Middle School Baseball League, a new spring league for 200 middle school students. Neighborhoods represented include Chinatown, Lower Manhattan and West Harlem. Teachers launched a similar league two years, but few students could afford the $30 uniforms. Now Pinnacle is paying for uniforms, gloves and equipment. CEO Joel Wiener has led Pinnacle’s controversial effort to buy more than $1 billion in distressed buildings in Upper Manhattan and the Bronx over the past few years. TRD