The 1993 film, The Sandlot, has become a cult classic since its initial release, with its inspiring baseball story causing speculation about whether the film is based on real life. The Sandlot follows the escapades of Scott Smalls as hew tries to fit in after moving to a new town, which he accomplished by playing baseball with the local kids. Set in the summer of 1962, the boys spend their days playing baseball, discussing Babe Ruth, and attempting to recover a signed ball from a dog-guarded yard. The film was written and directed by David Mickey Evans, who also narrates the film as adult Smalls.
In addition to featuring numerous references to real icon Babe Ruth, a twist about a character being a former professional player, and a flash-forward to Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, The Sandlot certainly feels like a real story as it follows Scott's coming of age story. Not only does Scott's childhood seem grounded in real experiences, but The Sandlot also curiously ends with information about what later happens to each young character as an adult. While The Sandlot's best quotes are often still thrown around, many may be unaware of what actually inspired the movie.
The Sandlot Is Not Technically Based On A True Story
The Sandlot is not technically based on a true story, though it was strongly influenced by writer David Mickey Evans' memories from his childhood. While the events in The Sandlot are invented and there is no real-life equivalent of the story that it is based on, the events come from Evans' memories of playing baseball as a kid. Much of the coming of age theme that is prominent in the film is also likely based on Evans' own experiences growing up. That relatable inspiration is part of why The Sandlot is considered one of the best teen summer movies.
The hilarious hijinks the characters in The Sandlot get into were written by Evans to capture what he felt was important about growing up and coming of age. Obviously, they were also carefully designed to be funny and entertaining. The Sandlot largely remains so beloved after all these years because it is able to convey meaningful ideas about growing up while being wildly entertaining and raucously funny. While the story is largely fictional, there is one aspect of the movie that really is based on an event in Evans' life.
How The Sandlot's Beast Dog Was Inspired By The Director's Childhood
During The Sandlot, one of the characters hits a homerun into the neighbor's yard, which is guarded by a massive English Mastiff the boys nickname "The Beast." The Beast is, in fact, based on a dog from David Mickey Evans' childhood. Evans revealed to The Citizens' Voice that when he was growing up his brother volunteered to retrieve the neighborhood kids' baseball from another neighbor's yard, and was attacked by a chained up dog. This is obviously the direct inspiration for The Sandlot's iconic Beast character, though it is more light-hearted in the movie than it probably was for Evans' brother.
