Imagine watching spring training and learning you’re Mike Trout’s hero.
It happened to Patrick Renna, who portrayed Hamilton “Ham” Porter in the 1993 cult classic, The Sandlot. The 43-year-old Renna met Trout this week, and the two took some photos, with Renna even donning catcher’s gear and a mitt to catch during a Trout plate appearance.
“I’ve been around a lot of great players, but nobody touches #thegreathambino #legend @PatrickRenna,” Trout tweeted.
I've been around a lot of great players, but nobody touches #thegreathambino 💪#legend @PatrickRenna pic.twitter.com/HmJ6BROt1U
— Mike Trout (@MikeTrout) February 27, 2023
The coming-of-age story features a group of baseball-playing friends and their adventures in the summer of 1962.
MLB.com ranked the coming-of-age story No. 8 on a list of the 25 best baseball movies of all time, noting, “The kids classic snuck up on people when it was released, but its nostalgia is even more powerful now. And it has the one quote you’ll surely see on a T-shirt every time you go to a game: “You’re killin’ me, Smalls!”
Trout, who was still a toddler when the film came out, became a huge fan.
As for Renna, it’s obviously a big deal when one of the best baseball players of all time is thrilled to meet you at spring training.
In addition to The Sandlot, Renna has dozens of other acting credits, including appearances in shows such as CSI, Bones, Boston Legal, The X-Files and most recently, the Netflix series GLOW.
