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Yankees fiercely defend Aaron Judge after Little League coach claims MLB star ignored kids
The New York Yankees fiercely defended Aaron Judge after Little League coach Bob Laterza accused the MLB star of ignoring kids at the Little League Classic over the weekend.
In a statement to ESPN on Wednesday, the Yankees claimed Judge and his teammates “went out of their way to spend time with” the little leaguers at Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pa., ahead of their game against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.
The Bronx Bombers referred to Judge as “one of the great ambassadors of our sport” and said he connected with as many kids as possible, including Laterza’s team from Staten Island.
“Aaron Judge always acts with kindness and respect,” the team wrote. “The coach could learn a lot from him.”
Despite the fuss, the Yankees wished Laterza’s team the best in the championship, adding they would be invited to visit the Yankee Stadium at a later date.
“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,” the Yankees added. “Reaching out to us would have been the prudent way to act and would have set a fine example for his young players.”
On Monday, Laterza blasted Judge, 32, for allegedly not greeting his little leaguers at the classic, despite the All-Star player’s teammates Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes and Jason Dominguez stopping by to say hello.
Laterza alleged to the Staten Island Advance that his team of kiddos called out to Judge but were ignored.
“How about turning around or wave to New York and the kids that think you’re a hero?” he said. “They are the ones who pay your salary.”
Judge turned down questions about Laterza’s comments ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Washington Nationals.
“I got no response for that. I’m not going to give him a response because it’s about the kids,” he said, per ESPN.
“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.”
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