Breaking: Yankees star Aaron Judge accused of snubbing Little League Team.
During Sunday’s Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, a coach accused New York Yankees star Aaron Judge of ignoring a Staten Island Little League team.
During the festivities, Bob Laterza, the manager of South Shore Little League, proposed that Judge blow off his team. Laterza claimed that although he was guaranteed a meet-and-greet with Yankees players at the hotel where they were lodging, Judge was not present; instead, DJ LeMahieu and Tim Hill made an appearance. Along with Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, Jasson Dominguez, and manager Aaron Boone, the team also got to meet Judge, but he did not spend time speaking with his players. Even though the children were seated right behind home plate, Laterza said that Judge did not even acknowledge them with a wave during the game.
“How about waving or turning around to face New York and the children who believe you are a hero?” According to Nick Regina of the Staten Island Advance, Laterza remarked. They bear the financial burden of your income. They felt let down. Perhaps he’ll want to see them and make up for it.
The guys that did spend time with Laterza’s squad received accolades from him. For example, video of Cole spending a lot of time interacting with the Little Leaguers and signing autographs for them was shared by the Yankees’ official X account.
Without a doubt, Judge was the most sought-after player in Williamsport, with everyone vying for his attention. Throughout the day, social media users shared images and videos of the Yankees player being surrounded by children while he signed autographs without raising an eyebrow. He was having a good time interacting with a Little Leaguer who requested him to smash a 474-foot home run during the game in one of the videos that went viral on Sunday.
If Laterza and his Little League teammates believed they would meet Judge but were mistakenly led to believe otherwise, the Yankees’ misplanning or misunderstanding is most likely to blame, not Judge. The outfielder’s team is in a pennant race, and he still had the entire game to play. While it would have been lovely if he had turned to wave to the children, he is in the on-deck circle getting ready for his at-bat as well. Cole and other players who weren’t pitching on Sunday had less obligations that day.
Throughout his career, Judge has been recognized as a reasonably fan-friendly character who has even dismissed the infrequent jeers he has received from Yankee fans.
