Tommy John shared an emotional farewell with baseball fans and former teammates while receiving hospice care at his home in Bradenton, Florida.
The 83-year-old former pitcher did not attend the New York Yankees’ Old-Timers’ Day celebration on August 8 as he continued dealing with serious health issues. The Yankees instead released a letter from John ahead of the festivities.
In the message, John thanked the Yankees organization, the Steinbrenner family, his former teammates and the fans who followed him throughout his 26-year Major League Baseball career. He described the letter as an opportunity to “say goodbye to everyone.”
Reuters reported that John is currently in hospice care at his Florida home.
John Thanked the Yankees, His Teammates and Fans
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John used the farewell to acknowledge the people who supported him throughout his career, including the Yankees and the Steinbrenner family.
He also remembered advice his father gave him before he began his professional career. No matter how successful he became in baseball, his father told him, he would always remain Tommy John from Terre Haute, Indiana.
John said he never forgot those words. He also thanked the fans who supported him and his teammates over 26 seasons before ending the message simply: “Thank you, and God bless.”
The official MLB report on John’s message said he had recently undergone treatment related to a recurrence of bladder cancer. John previously disclosed that he had bladder cancer in 2024. The Yankees said he was continuing to battle health issues from his home in Bradenton.
John Thanked Dr. Frank Jobe for Saving His Career
John also singled out Dr. Frank Jobe, the Los Angeles Dodgers team physician who performed the experimental elbow reconstruction that would permanently link their names in baseball history. “Thanks to Dr. Jobe, who saved my arm and made it possible for me to continue pitching,” John wrote.
John tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow while pitching for the Dodgers in 1974. At the time, the injury was widely considered potentially career-ending. Jobe performed the groundbreaking operation on September 25, 1974, using a tendon harvested from John’s right wrist to reconstruct the damaged ligament.
MLB has reported that Jobe initially estimated John’s chances of successfully returning at roughly one in 100. John missed the entire 1975 season before returning to the Dodgers on April 16, 1976.
He Won More Games After the Surgery Than Before It
John’s return ultimately extended his career another 14 seasons. He had recorded 124 victories before the operation. After returning, he won another 164 games.
John finished his 26-season career with a 288-231 record, a 3.34 ERA and 700 starts across more than 4,700 innings. He pitched for six Major League clubs and earned four All-Star selections.
His teams included the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and Yankees. John spent eight seasons with New York across two separate stints and finished his playing career with the Yankees in 1989.