Tommy John, former Yankees pitcher and first to undergo elbow ligament surgery, dies at 83

Tommy John, the crafty lefthanded pitcher who played 26 seasons in Major League Baseball including eight over two stints with the Yankees and was the first pitcher to undergo the innovative ligament replacement surgery that now bears his name, died on Saturday night, the team announced Sunday.

He was 83.

John won 288 games (went 91-60 for the Yankees), was a four-time All-Star and pitched in three Yankees-Dodgers World Series – on the losing end of each – but has a legacy that will live on because of the 1974 surgery performed by Dr. Frank Jobe that saved his career and has gone on to save the career of thousands more at every baseball level.

Dr. Jobe’s procedure is the go-to treatment for injuries to the ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow. In the surgery, put simply, a tendon is taken from another part of the body (often a forearm or lower leg) and is grafted into the elbow as a replacement. It has extended the careers of many a Major League pitcher; John was 31 when he had it and pitched until his retirement at age 46.

“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 said in a statement Sunday. "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 already begun hospice care and could not attend Old-Timers' Day at the Stadium earlier this month, but did write a farewell letter everyone in the Yankees organization and all the Yankees’ fans.

It read:

“I want to thank the Yankees organization and the Steinbrenner family for giving me this opportunity to say goodbye to everyone, along with all the friends and fans who followed me throughout my 26-year career.

“Thanks to Dr. Jobe, who saved my arm and 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 of the fans who supported me and my teammates for 26 years. I will never forget you.

“The day I left for my first job as a pitcher, my father looked at me and said, ‘Good luck, Tommy. Just remember one thing: 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 was born in Terra Haute, Indiana, on May 22, 1943, and signed with Cleveland when he was 18. He made his MLB debut at age 20 against Washington. It was the first of 760 appearances including 700 starts as he compiled a 288-231 career record with a 3.34 ERA.

When the Yankees defeated the Dodgers in the 1977 and 1978 World Series, John was a starter for Los Angeles. Following the 1978 season, the Yankees signed him as a free agent. He earned three All-Star selections with them and would pitch for them against his former team when they lost the 1981 World Series. In 14 postseason appearances (13 starts) he was 6-3 with a 2.65 ERA.

John also pitched for the White Sox, Athletics and Angels during his career. He first appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 1995, but never received more than 31.7% of the vote from members of the BBWAA. He was on the Classic Baseball Era Committee’s 2025 Hall of Fame ballot but garnered only seven of the needed 12 votes for enshrinement.

He was a Minnesota Twins broadcaster for three seasons after he retired and occasionally appeared on television broadcasts of the Yankees.

John’s elbow injury occurred during the 1974 season when he was playing with the Dodgers. To that point, such injuries were considered potential career-enders. He became the first pitcher to have the elbow procedure that September and returned to the Dodgers for the 1976 season.

The Yankees’ Gerrit Cole opposed Atlanta’s Chris Sale in the Yankees 5-4 win after the Old Timers festivities, a matchup of two presumptive Hall of Famers who both had Tommy John surgery.

“Chris and I are a great example of taking it to the max as long as you can, then being given a fresh set of tires after a pit stop at the end,” Cole told reporters. “I think it’s a good opportunity to point that out, because he had an incredible career, both pre and post.”

“The surgery itself is saving us, but the player had to step up to the table and do it,” Cole added. “So a lot of gratitude to him, a lot of gratitude to Dr. Jobe for the great surgery. Most of the time, we’re frustrated that young players are getting it, and rightfully so. But maybe today, let’s celebrate the fact that it gave us a few extra pitches.”