Scotty Smalls moves to a new neighborhood with his mom and stepfather and wants to learn to play baseball. Benny Rodriguez, the neighborhood baseball guru, takes him under his wing and he soon becomes part of the local baseball buddies. They fall into adventures involving baseball, treehouse sleepovers, the desirous lifeguard at the local pool, the snooty rival Little League team, and the travelling fair. Beyond the fence at the back of the sandlot menaces a legendary ball-eating dog called the Beast, and the kids inevitably must deal with him.—Dan Urson