On this date in 1974: Dr. Frank Jobe performs first Tommy John surgery
On this date in 1974, the late Dr. Frank Jobe performed the first ever elbow reconstruction surgery on Dodgers lefty Tommy John.
On this date in 1974, the late Dr. Frank Jobe perfomed the first ever elbow ligament reconstruction surgery on Dodgers left-hander Tommy John. The procedure is now more commonly known as Tommy John surgery.
John, who was 31 years old and 13-3 with a 2.59 ERA at the time of his injury, tore his ulnar collateral ligament pitching in a game in July 1974. Jobe, the Dodgers team doctor, looked him over and knew the UCL was torn. A few weeks of rest didn't help, which is when Jobe suggested a radical new procedure.
“He looked around my office very seriously. He looked me in the eye and said, 'Let's do it,'" said Jobe to Reid Forgrave of Fox Sports back in 2012. "And those are three words that changed baseball."
In a nutshell, elbow reconstruction involves drilling some holes in the elbow and a weaving a tendon from another part of the patient's body -- usually the wrist or forearm -- into a figure-eight pattern to form a new ligament.
At the time of the surgery, Dr. Jobe reportedly told John the chances of success were 1 in 100. John had no other options though. He could either have the surgery and potentially save his career, learn to pitch with greatly diminished stuff, or retire. He went with option No. 1.
The rehab took a year and John returned to the Dodgers in 1976. He went 10-10 with a 3.09 ERA that year, then 20-7 with a 2.78 ERA the year after that. John won more games after surgery (164) than before (124). He pitched with his new elbow until he was 46.
Jon Roegele of The Hardball Times says more than 1,100 baseball players have since undergone Tommy John surgery. That's a lot of careers saved. Earlier this year, John Smoltz became the first pitcher inducted into the Hall of Fame after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
John, now 72, currently lives in New Jersey. Dr. Jobe passed away at the age of 88 last March. Neither is in the Hall of Fame, which is a shame. It's impossible to measure their impact on the game. The procedure was revolutionary.
