Yankees back Aaron Judge after criticism from Little League coach #yankees #mlbseason2024 #mlb

The Yankees fiercely defended Aaron Judge after South Shore Little League coach Bob Laterza criticized the star slugger for, in his eyes, not paying enough attention to his team Sunday when the Yankees traveled to play in the Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

In a statement, the Yankees called Judge "one of the great ambassadors of our sport" and noted that "our roster spent the day in Williamsport connecting with as many Little Leaguers as they possibly could prior to our team, including the team from Staten Island."

Laterza told the Staten Island Advance that several Yankees -- including manager Aaron Boone, ace Gerrit Cole and outfielder Jasson Dominguez -- met with his team before the Yankees' game against the Detroit Tigers, adding that Judge wasn't one of them.