Legendary Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher Tommy John, whose remarkable comeback from a potentially career-ending elbow injury gave his name to one of the most consequential surgical procedures in sports, has died at 83.
John died Saturday at his home in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, after entering hospice care, according to his family.
“Thomas Edward ‘Tommy’ John Jr. passed away peacefully at his home in Lakewood Ranch last night surrounded by his loving wife, Cheryl, and his sister-in-laws Judith Florentino and Karen Jordan,” his agent, Mike Maguire, announced.
“A private celebration of life will be held in Florida,” he added.
John’s wife, Cheryl, said the former pitcher died from bladder cancer after undergoing treatment following a recurrence of the disease.
Born in Terre Haute, Indiana, John signed with the Cleveland Indians organization after graduating from high school and made his MLB debut in 1963.
The left-hander went on to spend parts of an extraordinary 26 seasons in the majors, playing for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, California Angels and Oakland Athletics.
John finished his career with a 288-231 record and a 3.34 ERA across 760 appearances, including 700 starts.
He recorded 162 complete games and 46 shutouts while earning four All-Star selections and appearing in three World Series.
Only Nolan Ryan played more seasons in the modern era among pitchers and position players.
However, John’s greatest impact on baseball came after an injury that initially appeared likely to end his career.
John was enjoying an outstanding season with the Dodgers in July 1974, holding a 13-3 record when he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow while pitching against the Montreal Expos, per Trending Politics.
At the time, such an injury was generally considered devastating for a professional pitcher.
John instead took a chance on an experimental operation performed by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Frank Jobe on Sept. 25, 1974.
Jobe reconstructed the damaged ligament using a tendon taken from John’s right wrist. The tendon was threaded through holes drilled into the bones of John’s elbow in a figure-eight pattern.
The surgeon reportedly gave John low odds that the experimental procedure would successfully revive his pitching career.
John nevertheless underwent the operation and later required another procedure involving his ulnar nerve. He missed the entire 1975 season while recovering.
Then came a comeback that changed baseball history.
John returned to the majors in 1976 and continued pitching for another 14 seasons, finally retiring in 1989 at age 46.
Remarkably, 164 of John’s 288 career victories came after the operation. He also made 382 of his 700 career starts following the surgery.
John remained capable of performing at an elite level, including recording consecutive 20-win seasons with the Yankees in 1979 and 1980.
The experimental procedure that saved his career eventually became known throughout the sports world simply as “Tommy John surgery.”
Formally called ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, the procedure fundamentally changed the outlook for pitchers suffering serious elbow injuries.
What was once widely considered a career-ending injury became something from which many athletes could recover and return to professional competition.
The operation eventually became commonplace throughout Major League Baseball, with approximately one-third of active MLB pitchers having undergone the procedure by the early 2020s.
Among the prominent players who underwent Tommy John surgery were Hall of Famers John Smoltz and Paul Molitor, along with Cy Young Award winners Justin Verlander, Jacob deGrom and Chris Sale.
The surgery has also been performed on position players, while advances in surgical techniques and rehabilitation have improved the prospects of athletes returning to competition.
John’s legacy therefore extended far beyond his own impressive statistics.
His willingness to undergo an experimental operation in 1974 not only prolonged his career by more than a decade but helped create a path back to the field for generations of baseball players who suffered the same devastating elbow injury.
John is survived by his wife, Cheryl; his children, Tommy III and Travis; his sisters, Tamara Mannelly and Marilyn Hyde; and two grandchildren.
