Tommy John, the left-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who lent his name to a pioneering elbow surgery after undergoing the procedure to save his career, has died at the age of 83, according to NPR and CNBC.
Tommy John, the left-handed Major League Baseball pitcher whose name became attached to a pioneering elbow surgery, has died at the age of 83, according to reports from NPR and CNBC.
John was 31 years old when he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow in 1974, according to NPR. Up to that point, NPR reports, the injury had been a death knell for pitchers’ careers.
The surgery repaired John’s elbow and allowed him to continue playing, and the procedure came to bear his name, according to NPR.
On Aug. 8, the New York Yankees released a social media post in which John wrote that he wanted to say goodbye, telling fans: “I will never forget you,” according to CNBC.
Why it matters
According to NPR, the injury Tommy John suffered had previously been a death knell for pitchers' careers, and the surgery that bears his name allowed him to keep playing. His name endures in the sport through the operation that carries it.