Tommy John’s MLB Career Started in Dubuque

A MLB pitcher whose very name became synonymous with a breakthrough surgery that saved his career began his long baseball career in Dubuque.

Tom Emery for the Telegraph Herald wrote a lovely piece in memory of Tommy John, who died at the age of 83 on August 15th. John played 26 seasons in the MLB, most notably for the Chicago White Sox (1965–1971), Los Angeles Dodgers (1972–1974, 1976–1978), and the New York Yankees (1979–1982). He was a four-time All Star during his time between those teams, but broke into baseball back in 1961. Dubuque is a part of his story.

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How Tommy John's Baseball Career Began in Dubuque:

Tommy John's baseball career began with the Dubuque Packers of the Midwest League at age 18 in 1961. A Terre Haute, IN native, John signed with the Cleveland Indians in June 1961 and was sent to Dubuque's Class D Midwest League Team. As Emery notes in his piece, at the time, minor leagues were classified as: AAA, AA, A, B, C, and D, with D being the lowest level, or the furthest away from the majors.

John showed up and showed out with the Packers. In 14 games, he was 10-4 with a 3.17 earned run average, including four shutouts. Dubuque has an illustrious baseball history. The Dubuque Packers were in the Mississippi-Ohio Valley League from 1954 to 1955, and eventually played in the Midwest League from 1956 to 1968. They won two Midwest League Championships, in 1955 and 1962, respectively.

How "Tommy John" Surgery Came to Be:

In 1974, as a member of the Dodgers, John suffered what was feared to be a career-ending injury. He tore the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his pitching arm in a game against the Montreal Expos. Dodger physician Frank Joe performed a relatively uncommon ligament replacement surgery on John soon thereafter, and his lengthy recovery led him to missing the 1975 season.

John returned to the Dodgers lineup in 1976, becoming the first pitcher to successfully return to baseball following ligament replacement surgery. Thus, to this day, the procedure is colloquially known as "Tommy John" surgery. According to the American Medical Association, 35.3% of active MLB pitchers in 2023 received the surgery at some point during their career.

Tommy John's Legacy in Baseball and Beyond:

John ended his lengthy MLB career with 288 wins, the second-most for any pitcher in the modern era not inducted into the Hall of Fame. 164 of those wins came after the surgery, per the Telegraph Herald.

Prior to his passing, John penned a thoughtful "goodbye," which the Yankees shared on their social media outlets. John died on August 15th, spending his final days in hospice care. While he faced a recurrence of bladder cancer alongside other health complications, his farewell letter did not make mention of the specifics of his ailments.

Find out more about Tommy John and his connection to Dubuque on the Telegraph Herald's website.