Of all the memorable moments in Bob Costas’ Hall of Fame broadcasting career, few stand out more than when he drew the wrath of the Dodgers and manager Tommy Lasorda during the 1988 World Series.

On the latest edition of the Unwritten podcast, Costas joined All-Stars-turned-media-members Jimmy Rollins and Ron Darling to discuss how he suddenly became public enemy No. 1 in L.A., as well as objectivity, criticism and what goes on behind the mic.

Despite leading the A’s in the series, 2-1, entering Game 4, the Dodgers appeared to be in trouble with Game 1 hero Kirk Gibson and fellow starting outfielder Mike Marshall both out of the lineup due to injuries. Costas took note of both of their absences pregame, stating that the lineup might be the weakest to ever take the field for a World Series game.

“What I don’t know is the Dodgers have gone back into the clubhouse before the national anthem and Lasorda is watching and the TV is on in the clubhouse,” Costas recalled, “and Tommy, who loved to get this kind of stuff going, goes, ‘Look at that! Even Costas doesn’t think we have a chance. We’ll show him.’"

Los Angeles did just that, jumping on Oakland starter Dave Stewart for two first-inning runs and never looking back on its way to a 4-3 win. Lasorda earned game MVP honors from NBC for his spectacular decisions, and in his postgame interview with Marv Albert, he sarcastically suggested that the MVP should have been Costas.

“So now there’s no way you undo this in the court of public opinion,” Costas said. “There are still otherwise reasonable Dodgers fans who think to this day that I hated their team, and Lasorda turned it to their advantage. So, if that’s what you want to think, go ahead and think it.”

Rollins praised Lasorda for his tactics, noting that sometimes players “need to be turned on.”

“You need something to fire you up,” Rollins said. “You need something outside. [The Dodgers] were not the better team over the course of any series except for that one. … They knew they couldn’t beat the A’s, but Tommy did his thing and gave them the fuel that they needed just by you simply stating the facts.”

Tune in every Wednesday as Rollins and Darling dive into the history and culture of unwritten rules. Listen and subscribe now on Audacy, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.