Former MLB pitcher Tommy John, known for namesake surgery, dies at 83

Former major league pitcher Tommy John delivers an open air church service on Main Street in Cooperstown, N.Y., on July 31, 2005. The former pitcher died Saturday. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Tommy John, a former major league pitcher whose career spanned 26 years and was the first to return to the game successfully following pioneering elbow surgery, has died, the MLB announced Sunday.

The league said the 83-year-old died Saturday.

He played for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, California Angels, Oakland A's, and had two stints with the New York Yankees.

John, who won 288 games during his career, was 31 years old in 1974 when he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow while playing for the Dodgers. At the time, the injury ended pitchers' careers.

The surgery that allowed him to return to the pitch, ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, is widely known as "Tommy John surgery." The procedure is now common. The American Medical Association has said more than a third of active major league pitchers in 2024, have had the procedure.

The New York Yankees play the the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on July 31, 2020, in New York City. The Yankees on Sunday announced the death of former pitcher Tommy John, who died the day before at 83. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

He missed all of the 1975 season but returned with the Dodgers the following year and returned to top form. He retired in 1989.

In a farewell letter posted online during Old Timers' Day at Yankee Stadium in New York on Aug. 8, John thanked Dodger team doctor Frank Jobe, who developed the procedure.

"The New York Yankees mourn the passing of Tommy John, who was a bedrock of our rotation during his time in pinstripes and a longtime favorite of Yankees fans," the team said in a statement. "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."

After his playing career ended, John was a broadcaster for the Minnesota Twins and Yankees in the 1990s. From 2007 to 2009, he managed the Bridgeport Bluefish independent minor league baseball team in Connecticut.

John is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.