Tommy John’s name has lived on in baseball for decades because of the elbow surgery that helped save his career and eventually changed the sport. On Saturday, though, the Yankees shared a different kind of message from the 83-year-old: a farewell letter as he deals with health issues.
The team said John has been battling “health issues,” and his note was posted on the Yankees’ social media during the club’s 78th Old-Timers’ Day. In the letter, John thanked the organization and the Steinbrenner family for the chance to address fans.
“I want to thank the Yankees organization and the Steinbrenner family for giving me this opportunity to say goodbye to everyone,” John wrote, “along with all the friends and fans who followed me throughout my 26-year career.”
John’s connection to the game runs through six teams and a career that stretched across generations. He pitched eight years with the Yankees, seven with the White Sox, six with the Dodgers, four with the Angels and three combined seasons with Cleveland and Oakland. He started 700 games.
His legacy is tied to the 1974 procedure performed by Dr. Frank Jobe, the first time that surgery was done on a pitcher’s elbow.
It became known as Tommy John surgery, or TJ, and gave him several more years in the majors. Jobe died in 2014, and John mentioned him in the letter.
After retiring at age 46, John moved into broadcasting and coaching at the collegiate and minor-league levels.
The Yankees’ Old-Timers’ Day also brought a visit from one of John’s old teammates. Bucky Dent said he had been told about John’s condition last week and went to see him.
“I got to spend a couple hours with him,” Dent said. “Just talked baseball.
He was doing alright. It’s difficult.
I just wanted to spend time with him.”
Dent said John’s health came up among people gathered at Yankee Stadium for the event.
“He pitched a long time, and had a surgery named after him,” Dent said. “He’s a guy that went out there and did the job. … My heart goes out to him.”
John’s health history includes bladder cancer, coronavirus and blood clots in his lungs. The specific nature of his current condition was not immediately clear.
His letter closed with a memory from the day he left for his first pitching job, when his father told him, “Good luck, Tommy. Just remember one thing: whether you make it in the big leagues or you don’t, you’ll always just be Tommy John from Terre Haute, Indiana.
“I’ve never forgotten those words. Thank you and God bless.”
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