Tommy John shares emotional goodbye message on Yankees Old-Timers' Day
usatoday.com • • sports
Key Points:
- Former All-Star pitcher Tommy John, known for pioneering a groundbreaking elbow surgery, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the New York Yankees and fans during Old-Timers' Day, acknowledging his declining health at age 83.
- John thanked late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, Dr. Frank Jobe—who performed the innovative surgery—and fans for their support throughout his 26-year career.
- The surgery, performed in 1974, involved reconstructing the ulnar collateral ligament using a tendon graft and has since saved over 3,000 pitchers’ careers, becoming widely known as "Tommy John surgery."
- Despite the surgery's success, John noted the irony that it is needed more frequently today despite advances in training and techniques, highlighting ongoing challenges in baseball medicine.
- John shared that the surgery bears his name because Dr. Jobe preferred a simpler term to describe the procedure, leading to its eponymous recognition in sports medicine.
