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Jorge Castillo, ESPN Staff Writer
NEW YORK – The Yankees fiercely defended Judge Aaron 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 Hakim “one of the great ambassadors of our sport” and noted that “our to-do list is staying in Williamsport all day with Little League as possible before our teams, including teams from Staten Island. .”
Laterza told the Staten Island Advance that some Yankees – including manager Aaron Boone, ace Gerrit Cole and outfielder Jasson Dominguez – met with the team before the Yankees’ game against the Detroit Tigers, adding that Judge was not one of them.
Laterza said the Judge ignored the players when they called his name when he was in the on-deck circle in the loss of the Yankees at Bowman Field, leaving the team disappointed.
“How about going back or (waving) to New York and the kids who think you’re a hero,” Laterza said. “They pay your salary.”
The Yankees on Wednesday said the schedule was not set by “the Yankees or our players” and that “because Staten Island plays on Sunday, our players went out of their way to spend time with them in the moments before our game” against the Tigers.
“We want Staten Island to succeed in winning championships,” a Yankees statement said. “Win or lose, we are going to invite them to Yankee Stadium. However, it would be better if Coach Staten Island called us to understand the facts before reacting bitterly in a public way. way to act and will set a good example for the young players.
“Harun Hakim always acts with kindness and respect. Coaches can learn a lot from him.”
Boone said there: “I won’t even dignify (Laterza’s comments) with a response. Aaron Judge is as good as it gets.”
Hakim, who won the 2023 Roberto Clemente Award for his foundation’s work with young people, was seen spending time with Little Leaguers from various teams on Sunday. His parents, Patty and Wayne Judge, were also named 2024 Little League Parents of the Year in Williamsport on Sunday.
“(Aaron Hakim) is a role model that deserves to be celebrated — not just for his skills and accomplishments on the field — but for the way he wholeheartedly makes a positive impact on those who look up to him,” the Yankees’ statement said.
The judge declined to participate in Wednesday’s back-and-forth when asked about Laterza’s comments.
“I didn’t get a response on that,” Hakim said. “I’m not going to respond because this is about the kids. This is what it’s all about. We got a chance to spend a lot of time with some kids in Williamsport, make good memories. time in the game, you know, besides the loss. So I kind of want to be the focus.
“I don’t want to give weight to the comments. I play in front of 40,000 every night and I’ll be booed if I’m 0-for-1, so I don’t want to give weight.”
The South Shore Little League squad won the Metro regional to advance to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, where it started 2-0 before losing the next two games. The team was eliminated from the tournament with the team’s loss to Florida on Tuesday.
