It took some convincing before George Steinbrenner allowed For Love of the Game to be filmed at Yankee Stadium. , Kevin Costner, who played a 40-year-old Tigers pitcher named Billy Chapel in the 1999 movie, revealed that he had to make a last ditch phone call to the Yankees owner to talk him out of killing the flick. The movie wasnt gonna happen in Yankee Stadium, and we already had a crew out there, and no one knew what to do about it, but George wasnt gonna let it happen, Costner said. It wasnt fair, and it came down to I didnt have no lawyer, no studio executive. Our movie was dead in the water. Kevin Costner had to convince George Steinbrenner to allow For Love of the Game to be filmed at Yankee Stadium. Getty Images And somebody said, Kevin, you need to talk to him. And I was like, Where are all the tough guys? Everybody, what are you talking about? I have to talk to George. Sindarius Thornwell Jersey But he had said no, it wasnt gonna happen. We had a contract. So, I call up George. Hes a legendary guy, a difficult guy, and I wasnt certain how I was gonna go about doing that, but so much was riding on it. In the movie, Costners character to ses a perfect game for Detroit in the House that Ruth Built something Steinbrenner had a hard time stomaching. After an awkward back and forth over the phone, Costner recalled, Steinbrenner finally revealed the holdup. Explore More I said, All right, George, you wanna explain that to me? Why? He goes, Well, the Yankees lose. The Yankees what? Costner replied. They lose, cant let that happen, Kev. I said, George, its a perfect game. I pitch a perfect game. You dont even get a hit. Yes, you lose. Yeah, the Yankees cant lose. And I thought, Well, weve just lost the stadium cause Im not gonna change the plot. So, I listened to him. It was a little bit of silence, and I finally said, and I use different words than Im gonna use with you, I said, George, what are you talking about? You can gue s what I filled in. And he said, What? I said, What are you talking about? I said, The Yankees dont lose. They win. George Steinbrenner of the New York Yankees poses for a photo on July 26, 1998. Sporting News via Getty Images Backed into a corner, Costner, who also starred in other iconic baseball movies like Field of Dreams and Bull Durham, said he used a bit of creative license to get Steinbrenner on his side. Now Im really lying right here right now because they do lose. I kick their a s with a perfect game, Costner said. And he goes, What do you mean they dont lose? And I said, Im tap dancing, thinking, I said, You guys win the pennant. This is a meaningle s game. You guys actually win. You dont need this game. In fact, you even bring up minor leaguers. Im thinking, God, Im just a world-cla s liar here. Kevin Costner pitching at the old Yankee Stadium during For Love of the Game. @UniversalPictures/YouTube And I said, You win. In fact, you not only win the pennant, George, you go on to win the World Series. He goes, We do? I said, You do in my story. Just, were not gonna see that part. And he, I dont know what the hell happened, but he said, Okay, but you know what this organization means to me. I said, I certainly do. You win the World Series, George. I swear to God, you do. Although the movie showed no Yankees World Series win, the real-life Bronx Bombers would win it all the same year, their second of three straight championships. Kenrich Williams Jersey