Judge declines to respond after Little League coach says he ignored team

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge and manager Aaron Boone declined to respond to criticism from the coach of a Little League team from Staten Island who accused the Yankees slugger of ignoring his players during New York’s visit to the Little League World Series.

According to the Staten Island Advance, South Shore Little League manager Bob Laterza said Judge did not spend time with his team before Sunday’s Little League Classic against the Detroit Tigers in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He also said Judge ignored the players who yelled his name when he was in the on-deck circle.

“How about turning around or wave to New York and the kids that think you’re a hero?” Laterza said. “They are the ones who pay your salary.”

Judge was asked about Laterza's comments before the Yankees faced the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday.

“I’ve got no response for that,” Judge said. “I’m not gonna give him a response because it’s about the kids. This is what it’s all about.

“I’m not even going to dignify that with a response,” Boone said. “Aaron Judge is as good as it gets with everyone.”

The Yankees released a statement about the team's visit to the LLWS.

“Our entire roster spent the day in Williamsport connecting with as many Little Leaguers as they possibly could, including the team from Staten Island,” the statement said.

Judge was seen interacting with several children along with other teammates, including Jazz Chisholm Jr and Giancarlo Stanton. Chisholm tossed souvenirs to kids and filmed the encounter while Stanton demonstrated how to grip a baseball during a bus ride with Little Leaguers.

“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 a loss,” Judge said. “So I kind of want that to be the focus.”

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb