Tommy John Surgery — the revolutionary surgery named after the first person to receive it, MLB pitcher Tommy John, who died Sunday at the age of 83 — has saved thousands of pitchers' careers over the past five decades. The groundbreaking procedure was developed in 1974, when John was pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers and tore the ulnar collateral ligament on the inside of his left elbow. How Dr. Frank Jobe performed first Tommy John Surgery Dr. Frank Jobe, the Dodgers’ team physician, performed the four-hour UCL reconstruction surgery on Sept. 25, 1974, forcing John to miss the entire 1975 season. The surgery entailed replacing the UCL with a tendon from elsewhere in the body. In that case, Jobe took a tendon from John's right wrist, drilled holes in John's injured elbow, and wove the tendon through the holes.
At the time, Jobe estimated one-in-100 odds of John’s return to pitching in the Major Leagues, according to MLB.com. The gamble paid off: John returned for the 1976 season and went on to pitch 14 more years, winning another 164 games with the Dodgers, New York Yankees, California Angels and Oakland Athletics. How Tommy John surgery changed baseball and saved pitchers' careers Since the innovative procedure was first performed, thousands of pitchers have undergone Tommy John Surgery, as it came to be known, and many saw extensive success on their returns to the diamond. For example, New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom became the first starting pitcher to win the Cy Young Award after receiving the surgery, winning the award in back-to-back years in 2018 and 2019. Tommy John’s Legacy extends far beyond his playing career This week, the sports community bid farewell to John, who had been in hospice care at his home in Bradenton, Florida, and sent a message to the New York Yankees saying his goodbyes before the team's Old Timers' Day home game against the Atlanta Braves on Aug. 8, 2026. He also thanked Jobe, "who saved my arm and made it possible for me to continue pitching." "That surgery has since gone on to save the careers of countless pitchers, including many of the very best in the game today," John said. This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: What is Tommy John Surgery?