Tommy John Biography

Thomas Edward John Jr. played professional baseball as a pitcher in Major League Baseball for 26 seasons from 1963 to 1989. He has played for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, California Angels, and Oakland Athletics. Tommy John was a four-time MLB All-Star and holds the second-most wins (288) among pitchers since 1900 who are not in the Hall of Fame. After a high ERA in 1971, he was traded to the Dodgers following the season after pitching coach Johnny Sain urged him to throw a slider more. He missed the 1975 season recovering from surgery and became the first pitcher to return to baseball after such a procedure. In 1977 at age 34, he recorded his first career 20-win season with a 20–7 record and a 2.78 ERA. With the Yankees, he posted 20-win seasons in 1979 and 1980 and was an All-Star in 1978, 1979, and 1980.