Earlier this week, Bob Laterza, the manager of South Shore Little League, voiced his dissatisfaction with Aaron Judge.
In an interview with a local newspaper, Laterza criticized the New York Yankees star for not putting in enough effort to interact with his team during MLB’s annual Little League Classic.
In response to these complaints, the Yankees issued a statement on Wednesday, standing by Judge and defending his actions.
“We wish Staten Island success in winning the championship,” the Yankees said in a statement. “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.”
Aaron Boone, who has served as Judge’s manager since taking up the Yankees’ post in 2018, shared a similar sentiment.
“I’m not even going to dignify [Laterza’s comments] with a response,” he said. “Aaron Judge is as good as it gets.”
Judge and the Yankees continue their four-game series against the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday night.
