Former major league pitcher John Wetteland was arrested in mid-January on child sex abuse charges. Yesterday a Texas grand jury indicted him on three counts of “continuous sexual assault of a child.” He was released on $25,000 bond.
Specifically, Wetteland, 52, is accused of forcing a child to repeatedly perform a sex act on him. The assaults began in 2004, when the child was 4, and they allegedly occurred twice more during a two-year period.
Wettleland was a big league pitcher from 1989-2000, starring for the Dodgers, Expos, Yankees and Rangers. He led the American League with 43 saves in 1996 and, with Mariano Rivera setting up for him, helped the Yankees win their first World Series title in 18 years. He was a three-time All-Star and completed his 12-year career with 330 saves, which currently has him at 15th on the All-Time list.
Following his playing career he served as a bullpen coach for both the Washington Nationals and the Seattle Mariners.