José Ramírez and Dustin Pedroia prove size means nothing in baseball’s measure of greatness

CLEVELAND, Ohio — In a game increasingly dominated by physical specimens like Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, there remains something magical about baseball’s ability to elevate the diminutive to legendary status. That’s the conversation sparked on the latest Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, where hosts Joe Noga and Paul Hoynes connected a brilliant Dustin Pedroia anecdote to Guardians superstar José Ramírez.

The story involves Pedroia — all 5′9″ of him — being mocked for his height by David Wright and the Mets bench during a game. His devastating comeback? “Pedroia said he fired back ‘Yeah, but when I stand on my rings, how tall am I then?’ I guess it shut David Wright up... He just destroyed the entire Mets bench with one phrase.”

That perfect comeback encapsulates what makes players li