Tommy John, the namesake of a ligament-replacement surgery that paved a path to recovery for injured baseball players, has died. TMZ.com reported that the pitcher died at his home in Florida, surrounded by his family, including his wife, Cheryl. John had recently been in hospice care.
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. 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 recently undergone treatment related to a recurrence of bladder cancer.
Earlier this month, John wrote a farewell letter to fans. 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 left-hander was 31 years old when he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow in 1974, a death knell for pitchers’ careers to that point. John allowed Jobe, the Dodgers’ team physician, to replace the ligament with a tendon from his right forearm. Jobe gave the surgery 100-to-1 odds of being successful.
John pitched another 14 seasons after the surgery. According to the American Medical Association, around 35% of active major league pitchers in 2024 had undergone Tommy John surgery. That cohort includes Cy Young winners Jacob deGrom, Chris Sale, Justin Verlander and Tarik Skubal.
John was 124-106 with a 2.97 ERA over 355 appearances (318 starts) during his first 12 major league seasons. He returned from his surgery in 1976 to go 164-125 with a 3.66 ERA in 405 appearances (382 starts) over the remainder of his career. John pitched for six clubs, including the Yankees, the Chicago White Sox (1965-71) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (1972-74, 1976-78). He missed the 1975 season after the surgery by Jobe, who was the Dodgers’ team doctor.
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