Tommy John, namesake for a pioneering elbow surgery that saved his career, dead at 83

Los Angeles Dodgers former pitcher Tommy John praises his late friend, Dr. Frank Jobe during a memorial service at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, April 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File) Lefthander Tommy John of the Los Angeles Dodgers signs an autograph before a game, Aug. 12, 1977. (AP Photo/Lennox McLendon, File) LOS ANGELES (AP) — 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 died at his home in Bradenton, Florida, on Saturday night, agent Mike Maguire said Sunday. He had been in hospice care.

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Scoop News DeskLos Angeles, California · Published Sunday, August 16, 2026 at 6:43 PM UTCUpdated Monday, August 17, 2026 at 8:39 PM UTC

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He pitched for Cleveland, the Chicago White Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Yankees, the California Angels and the Oakland Athletics. “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,” Stan Kasten, Dodgers president and CEO, said in a statement. “His impact both on and off the field has been felt by ballplayers of all ages and will be for generations to come.” 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.

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