Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning of Game 1. The New York Yankees’ defensive collapse in the fifth inning of Game 5. Walker Buehler drops the pinstripes with precision throws in the ninth inning of Game 5, securing the Championship the Dodgers. The parade through downtown Los Angeles attracted hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic fans.

Everyone associated with the Dodgers has many fond memories of the 2024 World Series. As the new year approaches, reflecting on a major accomplishment is a time-honored tradition. So when Dodgers star Mookie Betts appeared on the Peacock comedy special “2024 Back That Year Up With Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson,” he could have touched on any number of cherished moments.

Instead, Betts was asked about the ugliest moment when he tried to catch a fly ball by reaching over the wall into the first row of seats in right field foul territory at Yankee Stadium in the first inning of Game 4. Two fans attempted to pull the ball out of Betts’ glove, with one prying his glove open while the other grabbed his wrist to prevent him from pulling away.

Fan interference was called, the batter was out, and season ticket holders Austin Capobianco and John Peter were ejected from the stadium and barred from attending Game 5 the next day, but not before other Yankees fans watched them exit of the stadium treated like heroes and exchanged high-fives and at least one hug.

Read more: Yankees fan admits he ‘probably crossed the finish line’ when he grabbed Mookie Betts’ glove: ‘Despair set in’

Betts had a few months to think and, accompanied by hilarious hosts Hart and Thompson, revealed how he did Really felt. He was on camera and when asked what he would say to those fans now, all bets were off.

“I would actually say, ‘F– you guys!'” Betts responded. “I understand they’re trying to get the ball.” Cool. But you tried to grab me.

“I was in the moment. So I thought about throwing a ball at her. And then I realized, ‘Mook, you’re not going to do anything. Go back to right field.’ “

Sometimes it takes the perceived intimacy of a podcast or a casual exchange with recognized jokers to get athletes to let their guard down and be honest about their feelings. Typically, after games, a media horde storms into their locker with the team’s PR people in tow, and the athletes respond with cautious pabulum.

Compare Betts’ profane authenticity to what he said immediately after the game, when he was steaming inside but holding back his comments.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said. “But there is always a first time for a first time. … We lost, that’s irrelevant. I’m doing well. (The fan) is fine. Everything is cool. We lost the game and that’s what I’m concentrating on. We “I need to turn the page and prepare for tomorrow.”

Read more: Yankee fans who disrupted Mookie Betts were ejected from Game 5 of the World Series

The Dodgers did just that, winning Game 5 to secure their second World Series championship in five years and their first full-season title since 1988.

Meanwhile, the fans wearing Aaron Judge and Mariano Rivera jerseys who tried to dislodge the ball from Betts’ glove weren’t exactly remorseful. In fact, Capobianco said they rehearsed this exact scenario.

“We always joke about the ball in our area,” Capobianco, 38, said in a New York bar after the game. “We won’t bother attacking. If it’s in our area, we’ll go up ‘D’.”

“Someone defends, someone hits the ball. We talk about it. We are ready for this.”

Capobianco and Peter were excluded from Game 5 and their tickets were given to a pediatric cancer patient and his family.

Well, that’s in keeping with the holiday spirit. It was understandable that Betts spilled his guts on Hart and Thompson, and the Dodgers must be secretly relieved that their star player didn’t wait until spring training to unload.

Read more: The Dodgers defeated the Yankees, won another World Series, and solidified the “golden era” of franchise dominance

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.