Archive · 17 Aug 2026
Tommy John, MLB pitcher and surgery pioneer, dies at 83
Tommy John was a baseball pitcher who played for many years.
He hurt his throwing arm badly in 1974.
A doctor named Frank Jobe did a very new surgery to fix his elbow.
Most people thought Tommy would never pitch again.
But he came back and played for 14 more years.
People named the surgery after him, so it is now called Tommy John surgery.
Many baseball players have had this surgery to help their arms.
Tommy John died at age 83 at his home in Florida.
He will be remembered as a great pitcher and a medical pioneer.
Former MLB pitcher Tommy John died at age 83 at his home in Bradenton, Florida, with the New York Yankees confirming the news Saturday.
In 1974, at age 31, John suffered a career-threatening elbow injury and underwent pioneering ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction by Dr. Frank Jobe.
John returned to pitch 14 more seasons, earning the nickname 'The Bionic Man.'
The procedure, now known as Tommy John surgery, has been undergone by roughly 35 percent of active major league pitchers, according to a 2024 American Medical Association estimate.
John skipped the Yankees' Old-Timers Day on August 8 and posted a farewell message thanking Dr. Jobe for saving his arm.
- Who
- Tommy John, former MLB pitcher and namesake of Tommy John surgery
- What
- John died at age 83; he was remembered for his pitching career and pioneering elbow surgery
- When
- The Yankees confirmed his death on Saturday; he had skipped Old-Timers Day on August 8
- Where
- His home in Bradenton, Florida
- Why
- No official cause of death was released, though he had dealt with bladder cancer and other health issues in recent years
- Age at death
- 83
- Death announcement
- Confirmed Saturday by the New York Yankees
- Place of death
- Bradenton, Florida
- Year of pioneering surgery
- 1974
- Surgeon
- Dr. Frank Jobe
- Nickname
- The Bionic Man
- Active MLB pitchers who had the surgery
- Roughly 35 percent (2024 AMA estimate)
- Modern success rate
- Near 80 percent for returning to previous level or better