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Tommy John, pitcher who gave name to elbow surgery, dies at 83
Tommy John, the MLB pitcher whose 1974 elbow injury led to the surgery that bears his name and revived his career, died Saturday at 83. The league announced his death Sunday.
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Tommy John, the former major league pitcher whose name became synonymous with the elbow reconstruction surgery that saved his career and thousands of others, died Saturday at age 83. The MLB announced his death Sunday. He pitched 26 seasons for six teams, winning 288 games.
John was 31 in 1974 when he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers. At the time, that injury ended careers. Dodger team doctor Frank Jobe developed a procedure to replace the torn ligament with a tendon from elsewhere in the body. John missed the 1975 season, returned the next year, and pitched at a high level into his mid‑40s. He retired in 1989.
The surgery became known as Tommy John surgery. It is now routine. The American Medical Association said more than a third of active major league pitchers in 2024 have had the procedure.