The four-time All-Star underwent an experimental surgery in 1974 that helped to extend his career
Credit: AP Photo/Damian
NEED TO KNOW
- Former MLB pitcher Tommy John, known for undergoing a revolutionary elbow surgery that extended his career, has died at age 83
- The New York Yankees announced John’s death on Sunday, Aug. 16
- John’s wife, Cheryl, told The New York Times that he died from bladder cancer
Former MLB pitcher Tommy John, known for undergoing a revolutionary elbow surgery that extended his career, has died at age 83.
The New York Yankees announced John’s death on Sunday, Aug. 16, writing in a statement that the star pitcher died on Saturday night, Aug. 15, at his home in Bradenton, Fla.
“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,” the team added.
John’s wife, Cheryl, told The New York Times on Sunday that he died from bladder cancer.
“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,” the Yankees wrote.
Credit: Focus on Sport/Getty
Originally from Terre Haute, Ind., John was first signed by Cleveland in 1961 and was called up to the majors in 1963. He pitched for teams including the White Sox, Dodgers, Yankees and Angels over the course of his career, playing in three World Series and for four All-Star teams.
During a Dodgers game in July 1974, John threw a fastball to the Montreal Expos’ Hal Breeden and suffered a complete tear of his left ulnar collateral ligament.
Though the injury was career-threatening, John opted to undergo ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery — later nicknamed Tommy John surgery — a procedure in which doctors take tendons from another part of the body, such as the forearm, hamstring or hip, to replace the medial ligament in the elbow.
Follow your favorite athletes on and off the field with PEOPLE’s free sports newsletter — sign up now!
The procedure was considered experimental at the time, and Dr. Frank Jobe, who performed the surgery on John in 1974, told the left-handed pitcher that he had a 1-in-100 chance of returning to the Major Leagues, per MLB.com. However, John opted to take a chance and undergo the procedure.
“I told him, ‘You’re a great doctor and I believe in you. But you’re wrong. I will come back,’ ” John recalled to Sports Illustrated in 1978. “ ‘You did an excellent job inside my arm. Now it’s up to me. I know how much pain my body can stand — and it’s quite a bit. I know how hard I can work, and if it takes 18 hours a day, I’ll do it. I will come back.’ ”
Following his surgery, John missed the 1975 season before returning to the Dodgers. He continued pitching until 1989 and made 700 starts — with 382 of those coming after his surgery — during the course of his 26-season career.
John, who later earned the nickname “Bionic Man” for the procedure, threw 162 complete games and 46 shutouts over his career. At one point, he was the league’s oldest active pitcher, per MLB.com.
Credit: Focus on Sport/Getty
Following his retirement from pitching, John tried his hand at broadcasting, covering the Twins and Yankees in the 1990s, before becoming a minor-league pitching coach with the Expos and Yankees organizations in the early 2000s. He also briefly managed a team in the independent Atlantic League.
John and his ex-wife, Sally Simmons, welcomed four children during their marriage: Tamara, Tommy III, Travis and Taylor. The couple later divorced, and John married Cheryl in 2021, the Times reported.
John’s son Taylor died in 2010 at age 28 after an apparent overdose, according to the outlets. In honor of his son, the MLB alum later started the “Let’s Do It” charitable foundation.
Earlier this month, John announced that he would miss the Yankees’ Old-Timers’ Day amid some “health issues.”
“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 throughout my 26-year career,” he wrote in a letter to fans. “Thank you to all the fans who supported me & my teammates for 26 years. I will never forget you.”
In their statement announcing John’s death, the Yankees urged fans to “remember the totality of his legacy” outside of his namesake surgery.
“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 team wrote. “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.”
Read the full article here
