Tommy John Dies at 83; Former Dodgers Pitcher Gained Fame For Namesake Surgery

The left-handed pitcher pitched six seasons for the Dodgers.

Tommy John returned to his former home in Franklin Lakes, N.J., for the dedication of a baseball field named in his honor on October 27, 1984. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Tommy John, whose ligament-replacement surgery as a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers paved a path to recovery for generations of injured baseball players, died. He was 83.

According to MLB.com, John had recently undergone treatment related to a recurrence of bladder cancer.

John recently wrote a goodbye letter, shared by the New York Yankees on their social media accounts. The team noted he was suffering from unspecified "health issues."

On this 78th Old-Timers’ Day, Tommy John shares a message to his fans, former teammates, and the Yankees organization as he battles health issues from his home in Bradenton, Florida. pic.twitter.com/3lKUWHoaw0

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 8, 2026

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

“Thanks to Dr. Jobe, who saved my arm & made it possible for me to continue pitching,” John wrote in his letter. “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."

John was traded to the Dodgers in December 1971, in the deal that sent future Hall of Famer Dick Allen to the Chicago White Sox.

Over the next three seasons, John went 40-15 with a 2.89 — leading the National League in winning percentage each of the latter two seasons — before an elbow injury interrupted his career.

John ruptured the medial collateral ligament in his left elbow due to overuse. After two months of rest, he elected to have surgery. Dodgers team physician Frank Jobe replaced the fraying ligament on Sept. 25, 1974.

“When I went to repair [the ligament],” Dr. Jobe told Sports Illustrated in 1978, “because of the long years of wear, there was nothing left to repair. I had to look elsewhere for a substitute.”

Jobe replaced John’s MCL with a ligament in John’s right wrist. It was the first time the procedure had been applied to a pitcher, or an elbow.

John missed the 1975 season recuperating from the surgery. Otherwise, he would have tied Nolan Ryan for the most seasons played in MLB history with 27.

The recovery was worth the wait. John recorded 164 of his 288 career wins after returning to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1976 season. He made three postseason starts in 1977, and three more in 1978, as the Dodgers reached the World Series and lost to the Yankees each year.

John pitched 760 major league games for the Cleveland Indians (1963-64), Chicago White Sox (1965-71), Dodgers (1972-78), New York Yankees (1979-82, 1986-89), California Angels (1982-85) and Oakland A’s (1985). He retired with a 288-231 record and 3.34 ERA (111 ERA+).

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