Former Yankees pitcher Tommy John, namesake of elbow surgery, dies at 83
Tommy John, a left-handed pitcher who won 288 major-league games and underwent the first ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction that now bears his name, died at age 83 while in hospice care in Bradenton, Florida.
Tommy John, a left-handed pitcher who appeared in 26 major-league seasons and recorded 288 wins, died at 83 while receiving hospice care at his home in Bradenton, Florida. He is best known for being the first player to undergo the elbow reconstruction surgery performed by Dr. Frank Jobe in 1974, a procedure that later became known as "Tommy John surgery" and has extended the careers of countless pitchers.
John began his MLB career with the Cleveland Indians in 1963 after signing as an amateur free agent out of high school. He later played for the Chicago White Sox, where he was an All-Star in 1968, and was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1971. While with the Dodgers he suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in July 1974, prompting the pioneering surgery. After missing the 1975 season, he returned in 1976 and quickly regained form, finishing second in the National League Cy Young voting in 1977.
He signed with the New York Yankees as a free agent before the 1979 season and posted 20-win seasons in each of his first two years, finishing second in the American League Cy Young vote in 1979 and fourth in 1980. He later played for the California Angels, Oakland Athletics and returned to the Yankees, making his final start in May 1989 at age 46. Over his career he started 700 games, the eighth-most in MLB history, and pitched 4,710⅓ innings, ranking 19th all-time.
In a farewell letter published on Old-Timers’ Day, John thanked Dr. Jobe, saying the surgery "saved my arm and made it possible for me to continue pitching" and noted that it has since helped many other pitchers. Los Angeles Dodgers President and CEO Stan Kasten said, > "Tommy was an exceptional pitcher throughout his career in Major League Baseball, and his courageous role in becoming the first to have surgery that would go on to bear his name can’t be overstated."
John also faced personal hardships, including his son Travis’s near-fatal fall as a child and the 2010 suicide of his son Taylor, after which he worked with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. He later served as a broadcaster for the Yankees and Minnesota Twins and managed in the minor leagues.
He had previously been diagnosed with bladder cancer.