Tommy John, the longtime pitcher known for the elbow surgery named after him, has penned his goodbye to the Yankees while in the midst of a health battle.
As the Yankees honored their legends of the past at Old-Timers’ Day in The Bronx on Saturday, the team shared a statement, adding that the 83-year-old was fighting “health issues from his home in Bradenton, Florida.”
John, in 2024, revealed he had bladder cancer, but it’s unclear if that is what he is dealing with now.
“I want to thank the Yankees organization & the Steinbrenner family for giving me this opportunity to say goodbye to everyone, along with all the friends & fans who followed me throughout my 26-year career,” John wrote.
“Thanks to Dr. [Frank] Jobe, who saved my arm & 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.
“Thank you to all the fans who supported me & my teammates for 26 years. I will never forget you.”
John pitched for over two and a half decades in the big leagues, including eight seasons with the Yankees, finishing his MLB career with the Bombers in 1989 at the age of 46.
But John is most remembered for the eponymous surgery — performed by the aforementioned Dr. Jobe, the team physician of the Dodgers — of the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow he underwent as a member of Los Angeles in 1974, becoming the first player to have such a procedure.
While speaking with MLB.com in 2024, John explained that he had all the faith in the world in Jobe to get him back on the field.
“If Dr. Jobe told me to take a pail of my dog’s poops and go back to second base at Dodger Stadium and bury them, I would be OK with it,” John said. “I would have done it because I believed in Dr. Frank Jobe.”
John missed the 1975 season after the surgery but returned in ’76 and threw in 405 games (382 starts) after the successful surgery. He was named to the All-Star team three times after the surgery, including two nods with the Yankees in 1979 and 1980.
He finished his career with 288 wins and a 3.34 ERA.
The 26-year MLB veteran said even after all the years on the mound and what he went through, the words his dad gave him before his professional debut always stuck with him.
“The day I left for my first job as a pitcher, my father looked at me & said, ‘Good luck, Tommy. Just remember one thing: whether you make it big in the big leagues or you don’t, you’ll always just be Tommy John from Terre Haute, Indiana,’” John continued in his statement. “I’ve never forgotten those words.
“Thank you & God Bless.”
