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Tommy John, the namesake of a revolutionary elbow surgery that has saved thousands of pitchers' careers over the past five decades, including his own, has died at the age of 83, Los Angeles Dodgers announced Sunday, Aug. 16.
John had been in hospice care at his home in Bradenton, Florida, and sent a message to the New York Yankees saying his goodbyes before the team's Old Timers' Day home game against the Atlanta Braves on Aug. 8, 2026, also thanking Dr. Frank Jobe, who performed his surgery.
"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," John, who pitched for the Yankees from 1979-82 and 1986-89, said in a statement.
"The day I left for my first job as a pitcher, my father looked at me & 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 started his major league career with Cleveland in 1963, before pitching with the Chicago White Sox from 1965-71.
In 1974, while pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers, John suffered an injury to his left pitching arm. Jobe, the Dodgers team physician, performed the four-hour ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery on Sept. 25, causing John to miss the entire 1975 season. The surgery entailed replacing the UCL with a tendon from elsewhere in the body, in this case, John's right wrist. Jobe then took that wrist tendon, drilled holes in John's injured elbow, and wove the tendon through the holes.
John returned for the 1976 season and went on to pitch 14 more years, winning another 164 games with the Dodgers, Yankees, California Angels (1982-85) and Oakland Athletics (1985).
"We are saddened to hear the news of Tommy John’s passing today,” said Dodgers president Stan Kasten in a statement released by the club. "Tommy was an exceptional pitcher throughout his career in Major League Baseball, and his courageous role in becoming the first to have surgery that would go on to bear his name can’t be overstated. His impact both on and off the field has been felt by ballplayers of all ages and will be for generations to come.”
John finished his career with a 288-231 record and 3.31 ERA in 760 career games, and he was named to four All-Star teams. He fell off the Hall of Fame ballot in 2009 in his 15th and final year of eligibility after receiving 31.7% of the votes.
John had broadcasting stints with the Minnesota Twins and Class AAA Charlotte Knights and also served in coaching capacities at the collegiate, minor league and professional level.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tommy John, All-Star pitcher whose pioneering surgery changed baseball, dies at 83
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