Leyritz coaching in minor leagues

Ex-Yankees slugger Jim Leyritz was handed a return to baseball Friday after the fatal 2007 crash that saw him charged with drunk driving.

The former World Series hero, who was sentenced to a year of probation after originally being charged with the manslaughter of 30-year-old Fredia Ann Veitch, was hired as the pitching and hitting coach with the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League.

"It's good to get back into baseball and start to rebuild," said the 47-year-old, who played for the Bears in 2001 after his major league career ended with the LA Dodgers.

Leyritz was convicted by a jury last December of misdemeanor driving under the influence, with a judge sentencing him to probation and a $500 fine.

He settled an unlawful-death lawsuit with Veitch's family for $350,000.

Leyritz, who played 11 major league seasons, hit a crucial home run for the Yankees in Game 4 of the 1996 World Series, during victory over the Atlanta Braves. He repeated the trick in 1999 against the same opposition.