Inside The Pinstripes

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

The New York Yankees released an official statement directed towards the Staten Island coach.

Joe Calabrese

Aug 21, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge (99) hits a solo home run in the seventh inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 21, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge (99) hits a solo home run in the seventh inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
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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.

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.

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.

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.

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Joe Calabrese

JOE CALABRESE

Joseph Calabrese is an avid New York sports fan, who has previously made stops at and worked for major sports leagues and companies, including NBC Sports, CBS Sports and Bettor Sports Network. He is a huge Yankees fan and can be found on X: @JCalabrese1. He also co-hosts the "You Know I'm Right" podcast with fellow media member Nick Durst.