Indiana Native Tommy John, Whose Surgery Changed Baseball F...
Indiana Native Tommy John, Whose Surgery Changed Baseball Forever, Dies at 83
Indiana Native Tommy John, Whose Surgery Changed Baseball Forever, Dies at 83
Tommy John, the Terre Haute native and former MLB pitcher whose name became forever linked to the career-saving elbow surgery he underwent in 1974, has died at 83. He died Saturday night at his home in Florida, his agent confirmed, after recently entering hospice care.
Born Thomas Edward John Jr. on May 22, 1943, in Terre Haute, John starred in both baseball and basketball at Gerstmeyer High School, graduating as valedictorian in 1961. He went on to pitch 26 seasons in the majors across six teams: Cleveland, the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, California Angels and Oakland Athletics finishing with 288 career wins, the second-most of any Modern Era pitcher not in the Hall of Fame.
His legacy, however, extends far beyond his win total. After tearing the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow in 1974, an injury considered career-ending at the time, John underwent an experimental ligament-reconstruction procedure performed by Dr. Frank Jobe. He returned to pitch 14 more seasons, and the surgery now bears his name, having since restored the careers of countless pitchers across baseball.
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Earlier this month, John shared a farewell message through the Yankees, thanking fans and teammates and recalling advice from his father:
“whether you make it big in the big leagues or you don’t, you’ll always just be Tommy John from Terre Haute, Indiana.”
John is survived by his wife, Cheryl, and four children, Tamara, Tommy III, Travis and Taylor.
