Tommy John, the namesake of a ligament-replacement surgery that paved a path to recovery for injured baseball players, has died. He was 83.
TMZ.com reported that the pitcher died at his home in Florida, surrounded by his family, including his wife, Cheryl. John had recently been in hospice care.
“The New York Yankees mourn the passing of Tommy John, who was a bedrock of our rotation during his time in pinstripes and a longtime favorite of Yankees fans,” his former team said in a statement. While his incredible longevity and post-surgery achievements changed the fortunes and trajectory of countless athletes around the world, it also overshadowed his excellence as a pitcher, which included consecutive 20-win seasons with the Yankees.
“We pause to remember the totality of his legacy – his competitiveness and skill, his penchant for conversation, his kind and gracious nature, and his stature as an athletic and medical pioneer. The Yankees extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends, including wife, Cheryl, daughter, Tamara, and sons Tommy III and Travis. We also keep his son Taylor in our hearts.”
John had recently undergone treatment related to a recurrence of bladder cancer.
Earlier this month, John wrote a farewell letter to fans.
“I want to thank the Yankees organization + the Steinbrenner family for giving me this opportunity to say goodbye to everyone, along with all the friends + fans who followed me through my 26-year career,” John said in the letter. “Thanks for Dr Jobe, who saved my arm + made it possible for me to continue pitching. That surgery has since gone on to save the careers of countless pitchers, including many of the very best in the game today. Thank you to all the fans who supported me and my teammates for 26 years. I will never forget you.”
The left-hander was 31 years old when he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow in 1974, a death knell for pitchers’ careers to that point. John allowed Jobe, the Dodgers’ team physician, to replace the ligament with a tendon from his right forearm. Jobe gave the surgery 100-to-1 odds of being successful.
“Dr Jobe, if you do your job, I’ll do mine,” John said at the time. John pitched another 14 seasons after the surgery.
According to the American Medical Association, around 35% of active major league pitchers in 2024 had undergone Tommy John surgery. That cohort includes Cy Young winners Jacob deGrom, Chris Sale, Justin Verlander and Tarik Skubal.
John was 124-106 with a 2.97 ERA over 355 appearances (318 starts) during his first 12 major league seasons. He returned from his surgery in 1976 to go 164-125 with a 3.66 ERA in 405 appearances (382 starts) over the remainder of his career.
John pitched for six clubs, including the Yankees, the Chicago White Sox (1965-71) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (1972-74, 1976-78). He missed the 1975 season after the surgery by Jobe, who was the Dodgers’ team doctor.
John was a four-time All-Star, who also served as a broadcaster for the Minnesota Twins and Yankees after his career ended, but is not a member of baseball’s Hall of Fame.
John and his family had mixed feelings about the legacy of his operation. More than 50 years after his procedure, Tommy John surgery is as much a part of baseball as peanuts and hot dogs. Advanced training methods are helping pitchers of all ages throw harder than ever. They take comfort knowing a torn UCL won’t necessarily end their careers.
“I am sick my name is attached to a surgery happening in kids more than pros,” John tweeted in July 2018.
John’s oldest son, Tommy III, became a chiropractor who wrote a book suggesting ways to prevent young athletes from having to undergo major sports-related surgery similar to what his father endured.
