Yankees back Aaron Judge after criticism from Little League coach

NEW YORK -- The  New York Yankees fiercely defended Aaron Judge after South Shore Little League coach Bob Laterza criticized the star slugger for, in his eyes, not paying enough attention to his team Sunday at the Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

In a statement released Wednesday, the Yankees called Judge "one of the great ambassadors of our sport" and noted that "our roster spent the day in Williamsport connecting with as many Little Leaguers as they possibly could prior to our team, including the team from Staten Island."

Laterza told the Staten Island Advance that several Yankees -- including manager Aaron Boone, ace Gerrit Cole and outfielder Jasson Dominguez -- met with his team before the Yankees' game against the Detroit Tigers, adding that Judge wasn't one of them.

Laterza on Tuesday said Judge ignored his players when they called his name while he was on the on-deck circle in the Yankees' loss at Bowman Field, leaving his team disappointed.

"How about turning around or [waving] to New York and the kids that think you're a hero," Laterza said. "They are the ones who pay your salary."

The Yankees said the schedule wasn't organized by "the Yankees nor our players" and that "because Staten Island played on Sunday, our players went out of their way to spend time with them in the moments immediately before our game" against the Tigers.

"We wish Staten Island success in winning the championship," the Yankees' statement said. "Win or lose, we intend to invite them to Yankee Stadium. However, it would have been much better if Staten Island's Coach called us to understand the facts before bitterly reacting in such a public fashion. Reaching out to us would have been the prudent way to act and would have set a fine example for his young players.

"Aaron Judge always acts with kindness and respect. The coach could learn a lot from him."

Boone also defended Judge before Wednesday's game against the Cleveland Guardians, saying he was "not even going to dignify [Laterza's comments] with a response. Aaron Judge is as good as it gets."

Judge, who won the 2023 Roberto Clemente Award for his foundation's work with young people, was seen spending time with Little Leaguers from various teams throughout Sunday. His parents, Patty and Wayne Judge, were also named the 2024 Little League Parents of the Year in Williamsport on Sunday.

"[Aaron Judge] is a role model worth celebrating -- not simply because of his skills and accomplishments on the field -- but because of the way he wholeheartedly embraces making a positive impact on those who look up to him," the Yankees' statement said.

Judge declined to engage in the back-and-forth when asked about Laterza's comments before Wednesday's game.

"I got no response for that," Judge said. "I'm not going to give him a response because it's about the kids. This is what it's all about. We got a chance to spend a lot of time with quite a few kids in Williamsport, make some great memories. Had a great time at the game, you know, besides the loss. So I kind of want that to be the focus.

"I don't really want to put any weight into the comments. I play in front of 40,000 every single night and I get booed if I go 0-for-1, so I'm not willing to put any weight into that."

The South Shore Little League squad won the Metro regional to advance to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, where it began 2-0 before losing the next two games. The team was eliminated from the tournament with a loss to a team from Florida on Tuesday.

Judge homered twice in Wednesday's 8-1 victory over Cleveland, increasing his major league-leading total to 47. He joined Babe Ruth and Roger Maris as the third player in team history to hit 47 homers in the first 127 games of a season.

"I think that he just kind of keeps getting a little bit better all the time," Boone said after the game. "I think that's what greatness is. You're never kind of satisfied with who you are."