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Tommy John, the former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher who forever changed baseball by becoming the first player to undergo the pioneering elbow surgery that now bears his name, passed away Saturday at the age of 83, per staff at DodgerBlue.com.

John pitched in parts of 26 major league seasons — a remarkable run of longevity that was itself a testament to the groundbreaking procedure he underwent in 1974. Before the surgery, John had already established himself as a quality left-handed starter, making an All-Star team with the Dodgers and compiling a career that would ultimately span four decades of professional baseball. He won 288 games over his career, a staggering total that often gets overlooked in Hall of Fame conversations. The man simply pitched, and pitched well, for what felt like forever.

But his legacy extends far beyond wins and losses. When Dr. Frank Jobe reconstructed the ulnar collateral ligament in John’s pitching elbow using a tendon from his right forearm, neither doctor nor patient could have imagined the impact. The surgery — universally known as “Tommy John surgery” — has since saved the careers of countless pitchers at every level of baseball. It’s no exaggeration to say that modern pitching staffs would look fundamentally different without it. Dozens of current major leaguers, including some on our own roster, owe their careers to a procedure that exists because John was willing to be the first to try it.

With the Dodgers specifically, John was a key part of competitive rotations in the 1970s and early 1980s. He went 87-42 across parts of seven seasons in Los Angeles, helping the club reach the World Series in 1977 and 1978. He was a workhorse — the kind of pitcher who took the ball every fifth day and gave you seven or eight innings, which feels almost quaint now. His 2.97 ERA as a Dodger still holds up against any era.

Stan Kasten and the Dodgers organization issued a statement mourning John’s passing. This is one of those losses that transcends team fandom. Every organization in baseball owes something to Tommy John’s courage and Dr. Jobe’s brilliance. For us as Dodger fans, though, it hits a little closer. He was ours. He pitched at Dodger Stadium. He won big games in our uniform. And his willingness to undergo an experimental surgery in 1974 didn’t just save his own career — it created a medical legacy that has preserved the careers of generations of pitchers who came after him.

I don’t think we can overstate what Tommy John meant to this sport. Rest easy.

Source(s): Staff (DodgerBlue.com) | First reported: August 16, 2026 6:58 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers