Randy Johnson stands out in a crowd. His six-foot-ten-inch height makes him the tallest player to ever play in the major leagues and has earned him the nicknames "Big Bird" and "Big Unit." It is his 100-mile-an-hour fastball and unhittable slider, however, that have made him the most dominating pitcher in the American League. Johnson has led the major leagues in strikeouts for four straight seasons, a feat not even his idol and mentor, Nolan Ryan, could match. Johnson so dominated the American League in 1995 for the division-winning Seattle Mariners that baseball experts gave him the Cy Young Award, which is awarded annually to the league's best pitcher. He won the Cy Young again in 1999 and a back-to-back award in 2000. Johnson has proved that tall is not all for him as a pitcher or as a person.

Growing up

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Randall David Johnson was born September 10, 1963, in...