Tommy John, 83, sends farewell message as legendary pitcher battles health issues
The baseball icon who pioneered elbow surgery misses Yankees Old-Timers' Day, sharing an emotional goodbye from his home in Florida.
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Summary, timeline and people extracted by Claude from 6 items across 2 sources · 18h ago. Quotes are verbatim.
Tommy John, 83, the Hall of Fame pitcher whose name became synonymous with revolutionary elbow surgery, did not attend the Yankees' 78th Old-Timers' Day on August 8 and instead shared a farewell message acknowledging his declining health. John, who underwent the groundbreaking procedure by Dr. Frank Jobe in 1974 and went on to win 164 more games, expressed gratitude to the Yankees organization, Dr. Jobe, and fans throughout his 26-year career while battling multiple health conditions including prior bladder cancer diagnosis.
- Tommy John, 83, the pitcher whose name became synonymous with revolutionary elbow surgery, sent a farewell message on August 8, 2026, while battling declining health in Florida.
- John's 1974 surgery by Dr. Frank Jobe became a watershed moment in sports medicine, enabling his own 14-year career extension (164 more wins) and subsequently performed on over 3,000 pitchers worldwide.
- John missed the Yankees' Old-Timers' Day but expressed gratitude to the organization, Dr. Jobe, and fans in an emotional letter that acknowledged his mortality and reflected on his 26-year career across six MLB teams.
How it unfolded
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Report Coverage of John's farewell reaches national media
Major sports outlets including ESPN, The New York Times, Fox News, and USA Today cover John's farewell message, detailing his 26-year career, the significance of his 1974 surgery, and his current health struggles.
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Event John misses Old-Timers' Day, releases farewell letter
On the 78th Old-Timers' Day at Yankee Stadium, the 83-year-old John did not attend but the Yankees posted his emotional farewell message thanking the organization, Dr. Jobe, and fans while revealing he is battling health issues from his Florida home.
“I want to thank the Yankees organization and the Steinbrenner family for giving me this opportunity to say goodbye to everyone, along with all the friends and fans who followed me throughout my 26-year career.”
Tommy John · Google News ↗ -
Reaction Bucky Dent speaks about John's impact
At the Old-Timers' Day event, Dent expressed his concern for John, noting that John's health was a topic of conversation among attendees and praising his legacy.
“He pitched a long time, and had a surgery named after him. He's a guy that went out there and did the job. … My heart goes out to him.”
Bucky Dent · Google News ↗ -
Event Bucky Dent visits John
Yankees teammate Bucky Dent visited John at his home in Bradenton, Florida, just last week to spend time with him as John's health deteriorated.
- 135 weeks quiet
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Report John reflects on surgery's legacy
Two years before his farewell message, John told USA TODAY Sports about the procedure's impact, expressing amazement at how many careers it has saved while noting that 50 years later, the surgery is needed more than ever.
“It's amazing how many careers that surgery has saved. It was just an experimental surgery.”
Tommy John · Google News ↗ - 2571 weeks quiet
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Event Tommy John surgery performed
Dr. Frank Jobe performed the innovative elbow surgery on John, removing a tendon from his wrist, drilling holes in the ulna and humerus bones, and grafting tendons together with anchors—a procedure that would revolutionize baseball medicine.
What people are saying verbatim
“I want to thank the Yankees organization and the Steinbrenner family for giving me this opportunity to say goodbye to everyone, along with all the friends and fans who followed me throughout my 26-year career.”
Tommy John, Hall of Fame pitcher · New York Yankees social media / The New York Times ↗ · Aug 7
“Thanks to Dr. Jobe, who saved my arm & made it possible for me to continue pitching. That surgery has since gone on to save the careers of countless pitchers, including many of the very best in the game today.”
Tommy John, Hall of Fame pitcher · Fox News ↗ · Aug 7
“Thank you to all the fans who supported me & my teammates for 26 years. I will never forget you.”
Tommy John, Hall of Fame pitcher · Fox News ↗ · Aug 7
“The day I left for my first job as a pitcher, my father looked at me & said, 'Good luck, Tommy. Just remember one thing: whether you make it big in the big leagues or you don't, you'll always just be Tommy John from Terre Haute, Indiana.'”
Tommy John, Hall of Fame pitcher · Fox News ↗ · Aug 7
“I got to spend a couple hours with him. Just talked baseball. He was doing alright. It's difficult. I just wanted to spend time with him.”
Bucky Dent, Former Yankees teammate · The New York Times ↗ · Aug 7
“He pitched a long time, and had a surgery named after him. He's a guy that went out there and did the job. … My heart goes out to him.”
Bucky Dent, Former Yankees teammate · The New York Times ↗ · Aug 7
“It's amazing how many careers that surgery has saved. It was just an experimental surgery. I would have tried many things to come back and pitch.”
Tommy John, Hall of Fame pitcher · USA Today ↗ · Dec 31
“I asked Frank about that. He was such a humble guy, but he told me that he was tired of saying 'ulnar collateral ligament replacement surgery with the palmaris longus tendon.' It was easier for him to say, 'Oh, the surgery I performed on Tommy John.'”
Tommy John, Hall of Fame pitcher · USA Today ↗ · Dec 31