Yankees defend Aaron Judge after LLWS coach criticizes star

One day after Little League coach Bob Laterza criticized New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, the Yankees came to the defense of their superstar.

Laterza, coach of the South Shore team from Staten Island that reached the Little League World Series, believed Judge didn't do enough to acknowledge his players when the Yankees played the Detroit Tigers on Sunday night in the Little League Classic game in Williamsport, Pa., home of the LLWS.

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

On Tuesday, the Yankees released a statement defending Judge, calling him "one of the great ambassadors of our sport" and taking aim at Laterza.

"Aaron Judge always acts with kindness and respect. The coach could learn a lot from him," the Yankees statement read. "Our entire roster spent the day in Williamsport connecting with as many Little Leaguers as they possibly could prior to our game, including the team from Staten Island. We commend all of our players for devoting their complete attention to the hundreds of kids who literally walked step-by-step alongside them from the moment the Yankees landed in Williamsport through the entirety of the evening. Our players were unequivocally committed to making the experience what it was intended to be -- a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for young baseball players and their families from around the world to have meaningful and genuine interaction with some of Major League Baseball's greatest players."

According to the Staten Island Advance, Laterza said a number of Yankees met with his players, including manager Aaron Boone, before the game Sunday but Judge was not one of them.

Boone wasn't pleased with the comments.

"I'm not even going to dignify (Laterza's comments) with a response. Aaron Judge is as good as it gets," Boone said Wednesday.

Judge, who entered Wednesday hitting .332 with 45 homers and 114 RBIs, also took the high road.

"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."

South Shore won the first two games at the Little League World Series before losing the next two and eventually was eliminated after a defeat to Lake Mary from Florida on Tuesday.

--Field Level Media