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Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Daniel FitzGerald issued his ruling Friday after one juror refused to convict Joseph Petcka, a former baseball player, on animal cruelty charges, the New York Daily News reported.

Holdout juror Francisco DeFlaviis' fellow jurors said despite five days of deliberations, they were unable to reach a unanimous decision.

"(He) just felt the evidence wasn't there. He said that there was some reasonable doubt", juror Shamsul Islam said.

Petcka had been accused of killing his former girlfriend's cat last year. Prosecutors said Petcka, who used to play in the New York Mets' minor-league system, allegedly kicked and stomped the animal while in a jealous rage.

The 37-year-old told the Daily News he was very pleased with the mistrial ruling and being able to avoid a potential two-year prison sentence, despite the fact prosecutors are considering a retrial.

"I'm grateful that the jury worked so hard and grateful for the result", Petcka said.

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