Key takeaways:
- Tommy John died Saturday at his home in Florida at age 83, his agent confirmed to CBS News.
- John won 288 games, struck out more than 2,200 batters and was a four-time All-Star during a 26-year major league career.
- After undergoing the first surgery that became known as Tommy John surgery in 1974, he returned to win 164 more games over 14 additional seasons.
Tommy John, the durable left-handed pitcher whose comeback from an experimental elbow operation transformed baseball medicine and gave his name to one of the sport’s most familiar surgeries, has died. He was 83.
John died Saturday at his home in Florida, surrounded by his wife, Cheryl, and other family members, his agent Mike Maguire confirmed to CBS News. The Guardian reported that John had recently been in hospice care and had undergone treatment related to a recurrence of bladder cancer.
Over 26 years in the major leagues, John won 288 games, struck out more than 2,200 batters and finished with a 3.34 earned run average. He was selected to four All-Star teams, in 1968, 1978, 1979 and 1989, and pitched for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, California Angels, Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees before retiring in 1989.
His most enduring mark came after what once might have been a career-ending injury. In 1974, at age 31, John tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. Dr. Frank Jobe, then the Dodgers’ team physician, performed an experimental reconstruction, replacing the damaged ligament with a tendon from John’s right forearm. The procedure became known as Tommy John surgery.
Jobe gave the operation 100-to-1 odds of success, according to The Guardian. “Dr Jobe, if you do your job, I’ll do mine,” John said at the time.
John missed the 1975 season but returned in 1976 and pitched 14 more seasons. Before the surgery, he was 124-106 with a 2.97 ERA in 355 appearances. Afterward, he went 164-125 with a 3.66 ERA in 405 appearances, a second act that helped change how teams and athletes viewed severe elbow injuries.
The operation has since become common across baseball. According to the American Medical Association, about 35% of active major league pitchers in 2024 had undergone Tommy John surgery, including Cy Young Award winners Jacob deGrom, Chris Sale, Justin Verlander and Tarik Skubal.
Just days before his death, John wrote a farewell letter to fans that the Yankees shared during the 78th Old-Timers’ Day. The team said at the time that he was dealing with unspecified 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 through my 26-year career,” John wrote. “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 Yankees said they mourned a pitcher who was “a bedrock of our rotation during his time in pinstripes and a longtime favorite of Yankees fans,” adding that his medical legacy sometimes overshadowed “his excellence as a pitcher,” including consecutive 20-win seasons with the club.
Stan Kasten, president and CEO of the Dodgers, said John’s “courageous role in becoming the first to have surgery that would go on to bear his name can’t be overstated.” He added, “His impact both on and off the field has been felt by ballplayers of all ages and will be for generations to come.”
John also worked as a broadcaster for the Minnesota Twins and Yankees after his playing career. He is not a member of baseball’s Hall of Fame.
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