Tommy John, MLB Pitcher Behind Baseball’s Famous Surgery, Dies At 83

Tommy John, the four-time All-Star pitcher whose 26-year Major League Baseball career was extended by the groundbreaking elbow surgery that bears his name, has died at 83.

John died Saturday at his home in Florida. His wife, Cheryl John, said the cause was bladder cancer.

John won 288 games during a career that stretched from 1963 to 1989 — the second-most by any pitcher of the modern era who has not been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He pitched for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, California Angels, and Oakland Athletics.

But John’s greatest contribution to baseball came after his career appeared to be over. On July 17, 1974, while pitching for the Dodgers, John tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. At the time, such an injury was generally considered career-ending for a pitcher.

Dodgers team physician Dr. Frank Jobe offered John an experimental alternative: reconstructing the damaged ligament using a tendon taken from his right forearm. Jobe reportedly gave John roughly a 1% chance of returning to the mound.

John underwent the procedure in September 1974, missed the 1975 season, and returned in 1976. He went on to pitch another 14 seasons, winning 164 games after the surgery.

His best years came after the operation. John won 20 games three times, including consecutive 20-win seasons with the Yankees in 1979 and 1980. He finished his career with a 288-231 record, a 3.34 ERA, and 2,245 strikeouts.

The procedure became known as Tommy John surgery and has since transformed baseball. More than 1,000 professional pitchers have undergone the operation, according to the American Medical Association, while roughly one-third of active Major League pitchers had undergone the procedure as of 2023.

Among the many stars to return from Tommy John surgery are Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Hunter Greene, Justin Verlander, Chris Sale, Jacob deGrom, and Gerrit Cole. Hall of Famers John Smoltz, Paul Molitor, and Billy Wagner also underwent the procedure.

John and Jobe were honored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013 for their contributions to baseball.

Despite his accomplishments, John never received enough support for induction into the Hall of Fame. He spent 15 years on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot and never received more than 31.7% of the vote.

John later became a broadcaster, coach, minor league manager, and motivational speaker. He also became critical of the increasing use of Tommy John surgery among young pitchers, arguing that the procedure should not be treated as an easy solution to preventable arm injuries.

John is survived by his wife, Cheryl, and three children. His son Taylor died in 2010.

John’s playing career made him a baseball legend. The surgery that bears his name made his impact far greater: generations of players were given a chance to keep playing because John was willing to be the first to take an extraordinary gamble.