The Legendary Tommy John Passes Away

August 16, 2026
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His name has been on the lips of baseball fans long since his playing days had passed in 1989. Now, legendary pitcher Tommy John is dead at the age of 83.

John, of course, was the first to receive the iconic UCL reconstruction elbow surgery that now bears his name, back in 1974. Tommy John surgery is now a regular occurrence for many, if not most, professional pitchers. 

The left-hander spent 26 seasons in the majors and finished with 288 wins. What was revelatory at the time is that most of those victories (164 of them) came after his elbow was famously repaired by the equally legendary Dr. Frank Jobe (who passed in 2014). 

John, who had been close to death for some time due to bladder cancer and other ailments, wrote a farewell letter to Yankees fans on Oldtimers Day last week, thanking Dr. Jobe, among others. 

"(Dr. Jobe) 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.”

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

John pitched for six teams, including eight years with the Yankees, seven with the Chicago White Sox, six with the LA Dodgers, four with the LA Angels, as well as short stints with the Cleveland Indians and Oakland A's.

In addition to his 288 career wins, he compiled a 3.34 ERA across 700 starts (760 appearances in all), an amazing 162 complete games and 46 shutouts. Incredibly, 100 of his complete games came after his eponymous surgery. 

RIP Tommy John. 

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