The Beast is the main antagonist-turned-supporting character in The Sandlot. The legend of the beast is about a giant gorilla-dog that ate someone. His owner, Mr. Mertle, had to lock him in his backyard thereafter.

The uproar began when Michael "Squints" Palledorous started the rumor of the the beast, According to his story, the beast once ate an enormous pile of flesh and became a giant. He killed anyone who broke into the junkyard. When the people called for the policeman (his grandfather), he decided that he should be locked forever. Ham Porter once said that the beast ate a kid in the backyard, because of these stories, the legend of the beast haunted the sandlot kids and none dared to cross and jump the fence.

In reality, the beast’s name is Hercules and is actually a nice dog as revealed in the ending and the legend is put to rest. The dog is stated to havee live up to 199 dog years.