What Happened To Benny In The Sandlot?

When it comes to seminal family movies from the '90s, few are as beloved or memorable as "The Sandlot." A timeless tale of youthful friendship and adventure, the movie follows a group of youngsters who lose a prized baseball in the yard of a massive dog known as The Beast and must retrieve it in hopes of staving off the consequences for young Scotty Smalls (Thomas Guiry).

At the heart of the film is the bond between Scotty and the leader of the group of neighborhood boys, Benny Rodriguez (Mike Vitar). Cool, confident, and effortlessly athletic, Benny is everything that any young boy would aspire to be. He's also a great friend, one who's willing to put his life on the line in hopes of helping Scotty out of a jam.

However, while many fans of "The Sandlot" will recall how Benny saves the day at the end of the movie, far fewer will know how things shake out in his life as he gets older. This is because the sequels to the original film went straight to video and were much less popular as a result. All the same, they provide the happy ending that Benny deserves as he goes on to play in the big leagues.

In "The Sandlot 2," Benny is seen as a legend in the neighborhood that he grew up in. Though he is seen only through footage of the first film, the character is heralded and mythologized by the next generation of youths for his selfless bravery and his heroic run from The Beast.

Still, as is noted at the end of the first movie, it's Benny's achievement of his lifelong dream of playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers that makes him truly legendary. After all, how many young boys have dreamed of becoming sports stars? Benny is already the coolest kid in the neighborhood in "The Sandlot," but his rise in stature after the events of the story makes him even more admirable.

Eventually, the baseball pro returns to his old neighborhood in "The Sandlot: Heading Home," where he coaches a team of youngsters to victory. This offers a full-circle cap-off for his character and also sets the stage for the character's eventual retirement many years later, which leads to him becoming the manager of the Dodgers, the perfect ending for such a beloved character.