Yankees fiercely defend Aaron Judge after Little League coach claims MLB star ignored kids

The New York Yankees fiercely defended Aaron Judge after Staten Island Little League coach Bob Laterza accused the MLB star of ignoring kids at the Little League Classic over the weekend.

In a statement Tuesday, the Yankees claimed Judge and his teammates “did their best to spend time” with Little Leaguers at historic Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, ahead of Sunday’s game against the Detroit Tigers.

The Bronx Bombers called Judge “one of the great ambassadors of our sport” and said he connected with as many kids as he could, including Laterza’s team on Staten Island.

“Aaron Judge always acts with kindness and respect,” the team wrote. “Coaches can learn a lot from him.”

Despite the furor, the Yankees wished Laterza’s team the best of luck in the championship — they were eliminated Tuesday — saying they would be invited to visit Yankee Stadium later.

“However, it would have been better if the Staten Island coach had called us to understand the facts before reacting so publicly and bitterly,” the Yankees said. “Contacting us would have been the wise move and would have set a great example for his young players.”

On Monday, Laterza accused Judge, 32, of not greeting his Little Leaguers at the Classic even though the All-Star’s teammates Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes and Jayson Dominguez stopped to say hello.

Laterza alleged to the Staten Island Advance that his children’s team called out the judge but were ignored.

“Can you turn and wave to New York and the kids who think you’re a hero?” he said. “They’re the ones who pay you.”

Judge dismissed questions about Laterza’s comments before Wednesday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians.

“I haven’t had any response to this. I won’t be giving them any response because this is about the kids,” he said in a statement through the team.

“That’s what it’s all about. We got to spend a lot of time with a lot of kids in Williamsport and make some great memories.”