Topes Notes: Isotopes' accidental Tommy John tribute is a sign of times

Baseball pitching great Tommy John died at his Florida home on Saturday night. He was 83. Unfortunately for many, remembering his game takes a backseat to the fact that his name is commonly associated with one of the sport’s most common surgeries. The four-time MLB All-Star with a career ERA of just 3.34 was 31 in 1974 when he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. Los Angeles Dodgers team physician Dr. Frank Jobe replaced the ligament with a tendon from the forearm in his non-pitching arm. Long story short, he pitched for 14 more years and his name — is associated with the procedure — Tommy John surgery — now so widely associated with baseball that it churned up numbers like the ones Albuquerque Isotopes broadcaster and baseball journalist/historian Josh Suchon shared on his Substack page on Monday. In the essay Suchon wrote — “When did people start calling it Tommy John surgery?” — he noted a rather interesting, albeit unplanned, tribute of sorts to John by the Isotopes in their game Sunday, the day his passing was announced. “Before the game, I counted the number of pitchers on the Albuquerque Isotopes active roster who underwent Tommy John Surgery in their life. “It was nine of the 17. “Even the Isotopes bench coach, an infielder named Luis Lopez, had the surgery as player in 1995. “All five of the Isotopes pitchers used in Sunday’s game underwent Tommy John Surgery. “How’s that for an accidental tribute?” That’s right. So prevalent is Tommy John surgery in 2026 that more than half the pitching staff of a Triple-A team — and EACH of the five pitchers in Sunday’s game — have had the surgery. Not one or two on the roster. Not a couple who had it done getting in the game. Nine of 17 total pitchers and all five who pitched Sunday. That’s crazy. Almost as crazy as Suchon’s ability to deliver such a fascinating, timely, and telling statistic. Trivia time! * QUESTION: The Isotopes lost 1-0 to Oklahoma City on Saturday and 5-0 on Sunday, giving them back-to-back shutout losses for the first time this season. When was the last time the Isotopes suffered back-to-back shutouts and how many times total in the team’s 23 seasons have they been shut out in back-to-back games? * ANSWER: See below... Know the foe The Isotopes return home this week for a six-game Pacific Coast League series with visiting Las Vegas Aviators, Tuesday through Sunday, at Rio Grande Credit Union Field. * Isotopes, Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, 61-59 overall (5th), 22-23 2nd half (t-5th) * Las Vegas Aviators, Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics, 66-52 overall (3rd), 22-23 2nd half (t-5th) The countdown is on The Isotopes have 30 games remaining in the 2026 season — 18 at home at Rio Grande Credit Union Field and 12 on the road. Three up, three down Some things that have been looking good lately for the 'Topes, some not so good. Looking good: * Albuquerque’s 43 triples are the most in Triple-A, four ahead of Reno, which has the second most in the Pacific Coast League, and nine better than Nashville’s International League-best 34. * The Isotopes have scored 774 runs this season, most in the PCL. (That's despite being shut out in three of the past week’s six games at Oklahoma City). * In the past 30 days, SS Ryan Ritter’s .469 OBP is fourth best in the PCL. Sunday at OKC, he was 2-for- 3 with the 10th multi-hit game in his past 19 games. Look away: * The Isotopes struck out 61 times in the past five games. * OKC's Ryan Ward hit a 2-run homer against the Isotopes on Sunday, his 19th (in 78 games) against Albuquerque, tying Sugar Land's Pedro Leon for most ever against the team since at least 2005. * In addition to those back-to-back shutouts Saturday and Sunday, going back to Friday’s game, the Isotopes went three consecutive games without an extra-base hit for the first time since 2015. Fast food With 18 home games left, I’m starting to think it's possible Taco might not win this year. 2026 Season Standings (56 races): * 18 wins — Red Chile * 18 wins — Salsa Jar * 12 wins — Green Chile * 8 wins — Taco Homestand highlights Here’s a look at the promotional highlights for the Isotopes this week as they host Las Vegas at Rio Grande Credit Union Field (games start at 6:35 p.m. unless noted): * Tuesday: Taco Tuesday (variety of specialty tacos available throughout food stands around the stadium. * Friday: E.R.A.’s Night (Orbit’s version). The Isotopes apparently can’t say it, but I can. This is a Taylor Swift-like promotion, including music and an “In My Isotopes Era” t-shirt available with pre-sale ticket orders. There’s also a postgame fireworks show. * Saturday: Lowrider/Mariachis bobblehead giveaway to first 3,000 fans through the gates, which open at 5 p.m. (first pitch still at 6:35 p.m.) for the annual Lowrider Night game and the month’s Mariachis de Nuevo Mexico game. Pregame car show on the field from 5-5:45 p.m. with fans allowed on the field. Limited-edition Lowrider Mariachis jerseys will be sold in the Pro Shop and game-worn lowrider jerseys will be auctioned off. * Sunday (1:35 p.m. first pitch): Sesame Street Day with a Sesame Street youth bucket hat giveaway to the first 1,000 fans 15 & younger. Trivia answer Before this past weekend, the Isotopes were last shut out in back-to-back games May 29 and 30, 2021, at Sugar Land. The Isotopes have been shut out in back-to-back games a total of seven times. Reach Geoff Grammer at ggrammer@abqjournal.com or follow him on Twitter (X) @GeoffGrammer.