Patrick Renna

Patrick Renna is best known for playing Hamilton "Ham" Porter in The Sandlot (1993). He was born on 3 March 1979 in Boston, Massachusetts [1]. Since then he has written a children's baseball book, helped start a production company and led a comedy series that is now on YouTube [2] [4] [6].

From the North End to the Sandlot

Renna says he was born “basically, on the corner of Salem and Prince Streets in the North End” [3]. He moved to Watertown as a small child, then spent most of his childhood in Savin Hill in Dorchester, roughly from age 7 to 13, where he played Little League [3]. He calls himself a lifelong Red Sox fan and describes himself as “an all-sports fan for Boston” [3].

The Sandlot came out in 1993 [1]. His own accounts of how he got the part differ. He called it "basically my first audition", but in the same interview he said his second audition was The Sandlot, after an episode of Salute Your Shorts [3]. He has turned down the sequels. He told Boston.com that he declined to appear in The Sandlot 2 and 3, and said, “I chose to let it be” [3].

Films and roles after The Sandlot

Apple describes him as an American actor [1]. Its listing shows him co-starring with Carla Gugino in Son-in-Law (1993) [1]. He also appears in The Big Green (1995) and in Lavalantula and You Gotta Believe, and he is listed in National Lampoon Presents: Dorm Daze (2003) [1]. Boston.com names You Gotta Believe and Monster Summer (2024) among his films [3] [1]. Apple also credits him as a producer of the film Bad Roomies [1].

A children's book about baseball

On 25 February 2025 Penguin published an eBook of A Little Slugger's Guide to the Unwritten Rules of Baseball and Life under Renna's name [2]. Boston.com called it his first children's book, illustrated by Tommy Parker, with pictures that include Renna himself [3]. It sets out 20 rules that apply on the field and off, with real-life stories that include Jim Abbott and Michael Jordan. The article describes it as suited to readers aged 6 to 10 [3]. A ticketed signing at Trident Bookseller in Boston was set for 26 February [3].

Hambino Media

In February 2025 Renna, Kyle Howard and Lynsey Bartilson Moore announced Hambino Media, a production banner with “a slate of scripted and unscripted projects in the works” [4]. The announced slate included two untitled projects with Chip and Joanna Gaines' Blind Nil company and an untitled series with Golf Digest [4]. Dugout Dads is produced through the same company, which Renna and Howard lead [5].

Dugout Dads on YouTube

In June 2026 Renna and Howard were reported to be leading Dugout Dads, a comedy in which Renna plays a dad who coaches his son's Little League team. The article said the series was slated for release later that year, with more details to come [5]. By 29 August 2026 Time Out reported that all the episodes were on YouTube [6].

Time Out calls it “a heartfelt comedy about a first-time Little League coach”. Sebastian Jones and Dan Kopelman wrote it, and Victor Nelli Jr. directed it [6]. Several of the cast are The Sandlot alumni, including Tom Guiry, Chauncey Leopardi, Marty York, Brandon Quintin Adams, Victor DiMattia, Shane Obedzinski, Grant Gelt and Will Horneff. They play new characters rather than their original roles. Michael Peña and Danielle Fishel are the newcomers [6].