Former MLB Pitcher Tommy John Dies at 83

Former Major League Baseball pitcher Tommy John, a four-time All-Star who became synonymous with the elbow reconstruction procedure that transformed pitching careers, has died at 83 years old on Saturday, according to Major League Baseball. John pitched for 26 seasons from 1963-1989, playing for various MLB teams such as Cleveland, the Chicago White Sox, California Angels and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

John’s career changed dramatically in July 1974 when he suffered a complete tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow while pitching for the Dodgers. At the time, the injury was widely considered career-ending. Dodgers physician Dr. Frank Jobe instead performed ligament reconstruction, experimental at the time. John went on to pitch for another 14 seasons in Major League Baseball and retired after the 1989 season, ending one of the longest pitching careers in the MLB.