Patrick Renna Is Still Close with 'Sandlot' Castmates 30 Years Later: 'We Were Like Brothers' (Exclusive)

"I see them a couple times a year, and it's like no time has passed," the actor tells PEOPLE while discussing his partnership with Dairy Queen for the S'mores Blizzard

Thirty years later, The Sandlot is still hitting home runs in our hearts.

The 1993 coming-of-age film revolves around a boy named Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry), who befriends a group of boys who play baseball at his new neighborhood's sandlot during the summer of 1962.

Multiple baseballs are lost after they're thrown into The Beast's backyard, never to be seen again as the boys live in fear of the monster dog on the other side.

When Scotty loses his stepfather's prized baseball that was signed by Babe Ruth, the group embarks on a mission to recover the token before his stepfather finds out.

Speaking with PEOPLE this week amid the film's recent 30th anniversary and his partnership with Dairy Queen to celebrate the return of the S'mores Blizzard Treat, actor Patrick Renna — who played Hamilton "Ham" Porter in The Sandlot — recalls hanging out with his cast mates as some of his favorite memories from making the summer-centric film.

"Those are the best memories because we truly were like brothers on and off the field," says Renna, now 44. "So the moments of back in the apartment complexes we were staying in, in the swimming pool and just being buds over the summer. Those are the best memories."

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Related: The Sandlot's Patrick Renna Takes Sweet Baseball Photo with His Son Flynn, 4: "Call Me Coach"

In fact, they are so close that, three decades later, they're still on a group text — though, as Renna jokes to PEOPLE, "A couple of the guys have Android. So it's real painful because [the texts show up in] the green bubble. I can't take it."

"We're all on it. We're all pretty close," he says. "Some of the guys, Marty [York] and Victor [DiMattia], are quite close and they've sort of stayed in touch over all the years. But I see them a couple times a year, and it's like no time has passed and we just jump right back into it."

"We're close, for sure. We all share this great moment in history together," he adds.

The original movie reveals the future fates of each of the main characters at the very end, which might pose some challenges for a potential sequel — but Renna says he'd be open to reprising his hilarious character on one condition.

"[Ham] became a wrestler. So I would sign on if the first shot was me in wrestling garb, jumping off the high rope landing on someone. That would be the only way I'd be in," he jokes.

"I know it'd be kind of fun," Renna adds. "I mean, of course I'd do something like that — you just want to make sure that it did the original movie justice. But as long as there was some confidence that that would happen, I would definitely be interested."

In reality, "it's hard to do" a follow-up to such a beloved film justice, as "something both adults and kids are both equally invested in or interested in doing does not come around every day," he says.

Something that does appeal to both kids and adults alike? The DQ S'mores Blizzard Treat, which Renna is so excited to help promote as part of the fast-food chain's Summer Blizzard Treat Menu.

The actor appears in a new ad for the S'mores Blizzard Treat, acting out a twist on his iconic Sandlot scene in which Ham teaches Scotty how to make the perfect s'more. The scenes is arguably the most famous in the film, and is where Ham's line, "You're killin' me, Smalls!" comes from.

In the ad, Renna demonstrates how to enjoy a S'mores Blizzard Treat — which simply involves the use of a spoon! — and ends with a cheeky, "What's the opposite of 'killin' me'?"

RELATED GALLERY: The Sandlot Cast: Where Are They Now?

Renna himself tells PEOPLE the partnership was a perfect fit because "my favorite treat has always been something in the family of one of these Dairy Queen Blizzards."

"And then, of course, because it's s'mores, it was a no-brainer, but it's getting [to be] summer and it's kind of perfect," he explains. "After a hard day's work or a game of baseball, the perfect thing to go grab is one of these Blizzards."

Asked whether he's anything like Ham in terms of creating the perfect s'more at home or if he prefers his own take, the Boys of Summer actor and Hambino Athletics founder says he's "a traditional guy" — and, as such, has "never made one outside of the three ingredients" that are typically involved: graham cracker, marshmallow and milk chocolate.

"The most important part is you just have to cook them long enough so that they're nice and melty," Renna says. "But that's the great thing about a Blizzard is they're just ready to go."

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