Tommy John, namesake for a pioneering elbow surgery that saved his career, dies at 83
Legendary Major League Baseball pitcher Tommy John has passed away at the age of 83. He is best remembered for being the first athlete to successfully undergo the ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery that now bears his name and has saved countless careers.
Why it matters
The surgery named after him revolutionized sports medicine and has become a standard, life-extending procedure for professional baseball players globally.
Tommy John, who won 288 games during a 26-year big league career and became the first pitcher to successfully return following groundbreaking elbow surgery that later was named after him, has died. He was 83.
He died at his home in Bradenton, Fla., on Saturday night, agent Mike Maguire said Sunday. He had been in hospice care.
On Aug. 8, the New York Yankees released a social media post in which John wrote that he wanted to say goodbye to everyone, including friends and fans who followed him throughout his career, saying, "I will never forget you."
The Yankees called John "a bedrock of our rotation during his time in pinstripes and a longtime favorite of Yankees fans."
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