Tommy John, namesake for a pioneering elbow surgery that saved his career, dead at 83
Summary
Tommy John, a Major League Baseball pitcher who won 288 games and was the first to undergo a famous elbow surgery named after him, has died at age 83. The surgery, done in 1974, helped save his career and has since helped thousands of pitchers recover from serious elbow injuries.Key Facts
- Tommy John pitched in the major leagues for 26 years, from 1963 to 1989.
- He won 288 games and was selected as an All-Star four times.
- At age 31, he tore a ligament in his elbow that was usually career-ending for pitchers.
- Dr. Frank Jobe, team doctor for the Dodgers, performed a new surgery replacing the ligament with a tendon, later called Tommy John surgery.
- This surgery was the first successful ligament replacement on a pitcher’s elbow and had very low odds of success at the time.
- Since then, more than 2,600 professional players and many amateurs have had the procedure.
- Tommy John never made the Baseball Hall of Fame, despite having one of the highest win totals without induction.
- John passed away at his home in Bradenton, Florida, after being in hospice care.
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