Tommy John Dies at 83: The 288-Game Winner Who Transformed MLB Medicine

Tommy John, a 288-game winner who pitched 4,710⅓ career innings, passed away Saturday night at age 83 following a 2024 bladder cancer diagnosis.

Tommy John, the left-handed pitcher who recorded 288 career victories and logged more innings than all but 19 of the nearly 10,000 players in Major League Baseball history, died Saturday night at age 83. His death followed a 2024 diagnosis of bladder cancer. While John’s 26-season career was defined by his longevity, his most enduring impact stems from the September 25, 1974, surgery performed by Dr. Frank Jobe to reconstruct the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his pitching elbow. This experimental procedure, which utilized a palmaris longus tendon from the wrist woven in a figure-eight pattern through drilled anchor holes, saved a career that saw 166 wins and 2,544⅔ innings occur after the operation.

The 1974 UCL Reconstruction and Recovery

In July 1974, during his 12th major league season, John felt a crackling sensation in his arm while throwing a sinker to Hal Breeden. He immediately requested Los Angeles Dodgers team doctor Frank Jobe, who used X-rays to diagnose a torn UCL because MRIs were not yet in clinical use. Jobe initially informed John he was finished with baseball but offered a procedure with a self-assessed 90% chance of success, though he told the pitcher the odds were only 1-in-100 to manage expectations. Following the surgery, John’s left hand was reduced to a shriveled claw for three months due to the transposition of the ulnar nerve. A second surgery in December 1974 repositioned the nerve, allowing John to begin a rehabilitation process without an established protocol.

Statistical Dominance After the Procedure

By Opening Day 1976, John returned to the mound, throwing five scoreless innings in the Dodgers' fifth game of the season. He completed the 1976 campaign with over 200 innings pitched, including four complete games during his final seven starts. His performance peaked in the late 1970s as he finished second in the National League Cy Young Award voting in 1977 and second in the American League Cy Young voting with the New York Yankees in 1979. John eventually retired in 1989 at the age of 46. The success of his procedure was an anomaly at the time; the next seven players to undergo the same reconstruction failed to return to the major leagues.

A Lasting Medical Legacy in MLB

Today, an estimated 40% of major league pitchers have undergone Tommy John surgery. Dr. Frank Jobe, who died in early 2014, was recognized by the Hall of Fame in 2013 for his contribution to the sport. The procedure has extended the careers of numerous stars, including John Smoltz, who reached Cooperstown after Dr. James Andrews repaired his elbow. Other notable recipients include Justin Verlander, who had the surgery at age 37, as well as Chris Sale, Shohei Ohtani, Jacob deGrom, Tarik Skubal, Zack Wheeler, and Max Fried. In a final letter distributed by the New York Yankees last week, John expressed his gratitude to the fans and specifically thanked Dr. Jobe for saving his arm.