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By Jon Paul Hoornstra
Contributing Sports Writer
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Dr. Frank Jobe is the surgeon who pioneered the elbow ligament replacement procedure now known as Tommy John surgery.
The Dodgers' team physician, Jobe replaced a fraying ligament in John’s left elbow on Sept. 25, 1974. Since then, thousands of athletes have had their careers either prolonged or saved by the same surgical procedure.
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While Jobe is widely credited with laying the groundwork for a pioneering sports-medicine practice, the procedure itself bears John's name.
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“When I went to repair [the ligament],” Dr. Jobe told Sports Illustrated in 1978, “because of the long years of wear, there was nothing left to repair. I had to look elsewhere for a substitute.”
Jobe replaced John’s MCL with a ligament in John’s right wrist. It was the first time the procedure had been applied to a pitcher, or an elbow. Significantly, John laid the groundwork for future pitchers to have confidence in their ability to rehabilitate from the surgery — and thrive on the mound.
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John recorded 164 of his 288 career wins after returning to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1976 season. He would pitch 26 seasons in all, one shy of the major league record.
On Aug. 8, John missed the New York Yankees' annual "Old Timers' Game." The Yankees shared a letter to social media in which John, now 83, said "goodbye to everybody." He is reportedly in hospice care.
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One day later, the Yankees' current team physician, Dr. Chris Ahmad, thanked John for his contribution to sports medicine.
"In 1974, you took a chance on an operation that had never been done before," Ahmad wrote. "Because you did, baseball, and my life and career, changed forever. I’ve spent much of my professional life performing, studying and trying to improve the surgery that bears your name. More than 1,200 UCL surgeries later, I never forget that every one traces a line back to you and Dr. Frank Jobe.
"Your legacy is bigger than an operation. It lives in every pitcher who got another chance, every family who watched an athlete return, and every injury we may someday prevent because of what your story taught us. You became a symbol of the second chance. Thank you, Tommy. God bless you."
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