Tommy John: Pioneer of Baseball’s Greatest Surgery | Sacramento News

Sacramento News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Aug 17, 2026 · 1m

Baseball lost a true titan this past Saturday with the peaceful passing of Tommy John at age eighty-three. A twenty-six-year career crowned with 288 wins, he shattered expectations by returning from a career-ending elbow injury — an injury that would later become known as “Tommy John surgery.” Pioneered by Dr. Frank Jobe in 1974, the procedure replaced his torn ligament with a forearm tendon, with only a 10% success rate — yet John not only survived but thrived, going on to win 164 games after the surgery. A four-time All-Star who played for six teams including the Yankees and Dodgers, he…