How tall do you have to be to ride the rides at the ballpark? Being tall doesn’t hurt, but it is certainly no requirement.
In 1999 and 2000, Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson had the honor of standing next to each other as they accepted their Cy Young Award trophies. The vision of the two of them standing together conjured notions of some big time Texas rancher, and the little latino boy he hired to help clear the brush.
But more to the point, Pedro and Randy stood in direct contrast to one another: Randy was there to remind everyone that taller is better with major league pitchers. Pedro was there to say “hogwash.”
You could probably stand anyone next to Johnson’s 6’11” frame and they would look small, but there is an entire foot of difference between Randy and Pedro’s 5’11” frame. Unreal.
But you know what? The short guy is the one who had the dominating six year stretch of any major league pitcher ever.
Was it enough to make him one of the 12 best pitchers under six feet tall ever?
Let’s find out.