Former Yankees outfielder sentenced to three years for child abuse

Former New York Yankees outfielder Rosendo "Rusty" Torres has been sentenced to three years in prison for sexually abusing an 8-year-old girl during his time as a youth baseball coach, the Associated Press reported on Thursday afternoon.

Torres, 66, was convicted on five counts of first-degree sexual abuse; he was acquitted of abusing another girl. 

Prosecutors said Torres abused the girl from April 2012 to May 2012, while he worked as a youth baseball coach in the town of Oyster Bay on Long Island. The incidents occurred during baseball practices, the prosecutor said.

• JAFFE: JAWS and the 2015 Hall of Fame ballot - Roger Clemens

Torres tried to have the verdict overturned, contending that there were jurors who did not disclose that they or members of their families were victims of crime or had been sexually victimized. Nassau County Court judge Tammy Robbins denied his claim, saying that jurors had not acted improperly.

Torres' defense attorney said that the former Yankees player "has maintained his innocence and still maintains his innocence to this day."

Torres debuted in the major leagues with New York in 1971. In two seasons with the Yankees, he played in 89 games and recorded a .333 batting average; he finished his career with a .212 lifetime average.

Between 1971 and the end of his major league career in 1980, he also played with the Indians, Angels, White Sox, and Royals.

- Christopher Woody