It was a formality after the group headed by former Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley signed a purchase agreement to buy the San Diego Padres for a reported $800 million, but the sale would not be made official until Major League Baseball owners gave their stamp of approval.

Thursday, that stamp arrived at an owners meeting in Denver:

As expected, Fowler-O’Malley purchase of #Padres approved by MLB owners. Group enters owners meeting to customary applause for new owners

— Eric Fisher (@EricFisherSBJ) August 16, 2012

The group purchasing the team, in addition to O’Malley, includes San Diego businessman Ron Fowler and professional golfer Phil Mickelson. The sale price is the third-largest ever for a Major League team, after the $2.1 billion recently paid by the Guggenheim Group for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the $845 million price paid by the Ricketts family for the Chicago Cubs in 2009.

For more on the Padres, please visit Gaslamp Ball.