The New York Yankees hit back at a Little League coach who expressed disappointment over not being able to meet Aaron Judge during the Little League Classic held in Williamsport, Pennsylvania on Sunday.

Bob Laterza, the coach of a Staten Island team, mentioned to SILive.com that Judge did not acknowledge his players during the Yankees’ game against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.

“How about turning around or waving to New York and the kids who see you as a hero?” Laterza lamented. “They are the ones who contribute to your salary.”

Laterza was also frustrated that Judge didn’t take the time to greet his New York-based team, even though other Yankees players, coaches, and former players interacted with his team.

“They were let down,” Laterza stated. “Maybe he’ll want to make it up and come to see them.”

The Yankees were not happy with the coach’s public remarks and issued a strong statement refuting Laterza’s complaints:

“Win or lose, we plan to invite them to Yankee Stadium. However, it would have been more constructive if Staten Island’s coach contacted us to clarify the situation rather than reacting bitterly in public. Reaching out to us would have been the wise choice and set a good example for his young players. Aaron Judge always conducts himself with kindness and respect.”

“The coach could take a lesson from him.”

Laterza’s team faced elimination from the Little League World Series after losing on Tuesday.

When asked about Laterza’s comments on Wednesday, Judge and Yankees manager Aaron Boone opted not to respond.

“I don’t have a response to that,” Judge told reporters, according to NJ.com. “I’m not going to engage, because this is about the kids.”

Boone added: “I’m not even going to dignify that with an answer. Aaron Judge is as good as they come with everyone.”

Judge had been seen engaging with young fans, taking selfies on the field before the game, and mingling with the crowd during one of the LLWS games. As the 2022 AL MVP, he is renowned for his interactions with fans, including signing autographs.

“We appreciate all our players for fully engaging with the hundreds of kids who followed them step-by-step from the moment the Yankees arrived in Williamsport through the entire evening,” the Yankees stated.

“Our players were fully dedicated to making this event a special opportunity for young baseball players and their families from around the globe to have real and meaningful interactions with some of Major League Baseball’s top stars.”

Who is Bob Laterza?

Laterza, who has been coaching Little League for over three decades, has also used this opportunity to revisit a Little League World Series issue from 2001 – the age scandal involving pitcher Danny Almonte.

Laterza’s team lost 13-0 to Almonte’s team from the Bronx in the sectionals leading up to that year’s World Series. The coach claims he attempted to report the 14-year-old player posing as a 12-year-old, a fact later brought to light by a Sports Illustrated investigation.

“I reached out to everyone,” Laterza recounted to PennLive. “Nobody listened.”

In a 2001 New York Post article, Laterza mentioned spending $10,000 on private investigators to look into the Almonte situation, and he has been frequently referenced as a wronged party over the years in retrospective accounts.