For Love of the Game

According to Kevin Costner, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was becoming agitated that the Yankees would be seen losing in a movie filmed on location at Yankee Stadium. Costner said he was able to calm Steinbrenner down by explaining that Billy Chapel, and not necessarily the game itself, was the movie's major focus. Costner also explained that the game would mean nothing to the Yankees, and that it wasn't played as a "Winner Take All" scenario. Costner convinced Steinbrenner that in the movie's universe, the Yankees would clinch the AL East division the next day, keeping alive their World Series chances. Costner said that he later received a Yankees 1999 World Series ring as a thank-you gift from Steinbrenner.

Baseball has a rule saying that any player who has been in the MLB for 10 or more years, and has played the last 5 or more consecutively with the same team has a full no-trade clause. Having played the last 19 for the Tigers, so they could not have traded Kevin Costner's character without his permission to do so.

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: American Beauty/Blue Streak/For Love of the Game (1999)