Bob Costas Saves Friend from Choking by Doing Heimlich Maneuver: 'I’d Never Done It Before'

The sportscaster was dining with the longtime friend when the incident occurred in Syracuse, New York, his rep confirmed to PEOPLE

Credit Bob Costas with the save!

The legendary sports broadcaster, 71, was dining with a longtime friend in Syracuse, New York, recently when the man began choking, and Costas was able to save him, his rep confirms to PEOPLE.

“Bob performed the Heimlich maneuver and his friend was very quickly totally fine,” the rep says.

The baseball announcer, who studied at Syracuse University, was in the area for homecoming weekend and to speak to classes, “as he often does,” his rep says, when the incident occurred two weekends ago.

Costas later opened up more about his efforts on New York Post podcast The Show with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman on Tuesday.

Related: Mike Tirico on Replacing Bob Costas, Being the New Face of Summer Olympics Primetime Broadcast

“Unlike you, I never took a course and I’d never done it before,” Costas told the hosts about learning the Heimlich maneuver, after they asked him about a Page Six story which initially outlined the incident. “But I was familiar with it, you know, those posters are in restaurants or you see something on television about it.”

Costas added, “Shockingly, Page Six got something slightly wrong, people have called it to my attention this morning, so I know what they wrote and said that the patron was not dining with me. But, in fact, the patron was sitting right next to me, a longtime friend of mine in Syracuse, New York.”

Costas continued, “So the guy was right there to my left and started choking, kind of spitting and coughing, his face is turning crimson, so I just jumped up and did what I thought I should do and luckily enough it worked out.”

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He concluded, “I don’t know if I saved his life, but I saved him considerable discomfort, that’s for sure.”

Costas' trip to Syracuse — and his save — were a break from his day job right now, calling the NLDS series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Related: Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher Reunites With His Mom at Game After 'Difficult' 7 Years Apart

While the Dodgers are down 2-0 in the series — including an 11-2 Game 1 thumping in which regular season ace Clayton Kershaw got shellacked with six runs in the first inning  — Costas has been in the broadcasting booth to call it all.

Game 3 moves to Chase Field in Phoenix on Wednesday, where the Diamondbacks can clinch the series with a win.

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