New York Yankees Clap Back at Little League Coach's Shot at Aaron Judge

New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge is normally not at the center of any type of controversy, but comments made by Bob Laterza following the Yankees playing in the Little League Classic game on Sunday were hard to ignore.

For those unaware, Laterza is the coach of the South Shore Little League team from Staten Island, NY that earned the Mid-Atlantic bid to the Little League World Series in Williamsport this year. Although the South Shore run ended with a 6-1 loss Tuesday, the kids representing Staten Island, as well as 19 other teams from all across the United States and internationally, had the opportunity to meet Yankees and Detroit Tigers players Sunday prior to the game.

Laterza told the Staten Island Advance several current Yankees players did spend time with the South Shore players, most notably ace Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes and Jasson Dominguez. Judge was excluded from the short list and was the subject of Laterza’s commentary.

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

The Yankees organization issued a statement Wednesday responding to Laterza.

Yankees fire back at South Shore coach Bob Laterza 💪What are your thoughts? #RepBX pic.twitter.com/GEnsE0ukee
— Fireside Yankees (@FiresideYankees) August 21, 2024

In addition to the Yankees official statement, which defended their star by including "Aaron Judge always acts with kindness and respect. The coach could learn a lot from him," Judge was asked about Laterza’s comments prior to New York’s game against the Cleveland Guardians. Judge acknowledged the event Sunday was about the kids, players had an opportunity to spend time with kids at Williamsport, and declined further comment beyond that.

Aaron Judge on Little League coach Bob Laterza:

"I'm not gonna 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." #Yankees https://t.co/Vp569ZnrJr
— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) August 21, 2024

Manager Aaron Boone also chimed in on Laterza’s comments about Judge, choosing to, like Judge, let his non-commentary about the situation do the talking regarding the situation.

“I’m not even gonna dignify that with a response,” Aaron Boone said of Bob Laterza’s comments on Aaron Judge.

Added Judge: "I play in front of 40,000 every single night & I get booed if I go 0-1. So I’m not really gonna put any weight into that.” #Yankees https://t.co/9P7wn0cSJk
— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) August 21, 2024

Whether Laterza was more focused on cashing in on 15 minutes of fame or sticking up for his players, the Yankees organization, which typically diffuses most of these types of situations with class, plans on having the South Shore boys attend a game soon following their elimination from the United States bracket. Although there are a few Mets fans on the team, a night out at the ballpark seeing Judge and his teammates is a part of a nice consolation for a terrific run.

As for Judge, he collected two more hits Wednesday in an 8-1 victory – a two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning and solo homer in the seventh. He leads Major League Baseball in virtually every major statistical category, except batting average (Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. is currently batting .352). The Yankees temporarily retake the top spot in the American League with a matinee on deck Thursday against Cleveland, and are tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for second in the majors in wins (74), one behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.

I’m sure Judge will be happy to spend some extra time with the South Shore Little Leaguers when they visit Yankee Stadium before the end of the summer. The Yankees captain seems like a nice guy.