Put Tommy John in Baseball's Hall of Fame

Tommy John belongs in the Hall of Fame. Never mind that his numbers over the 26 seasons he spent in the majors warrant his inclusion to the Hall of Fame- what he did for an entire generation of pitchers by undergoing a radical new surgery must also be considered. After having “Tommy John” surgery to repair his damaged left elbow, John went on to post a trio of 20 win campaigns for the Dodgers and Yankees, all at the advanced age of his mid-thirties!

John broke into big league ball with the Indians in 1963 at the age of 20, and after a pair of nondescript seasons he was part of a 3 team trade that brought him to the Chicago White Sox. The 6 foot 3 inch tall left-hander went 44-36 from 1965 through 1968, but when the Chisox fell on hard times, his record took a drastic downwards turn. John was 34-44 over the next 3 years and was traded to the Dodgers for disgruntled Dick Allen prior to the 1972 season. The move to the Dodgers rejuvenated John, who at 29 was coming into his prime.

These Dodgers were contenders during this stretch, and John helped their cause by going 40-15 over the 3 seasons. He was 13-3 in 1974, having his finest year, when he injured seriously a ligament in his pitching elbow. Facing the prospect of never pitching again, John sought the services of Dr. Frank Jobe, who had been contemplating a revolutionary procedure that would replace the damaged tendon with one from another part of the body. On September 24th, 1974, Tommy John had a tendon removed from his right forearm and it was used to replace the injured one in his left elbow. After rehabbing for 18 months, missing the entire 1975 season, John returned to the Dodgers in 1976 and was 10-10 with an earned run average of 3.40 for over 200 innings. At 34, he went 20-7 for Los Angeles in 1977, coming in second in the Cy Young Award voting to the Phillies’ Steve Carlton.

After Tommy managed to go 19-10 in 1978, including a pair of wins in the post-season, he was granted free agency. He promptly signed with the New York Yankees, and had his 2 best years for them in 1979 and 1980. He won 21 in ’79 and 22 in ’80, going 43-18 with 9 shutouts during that span. This meant that John threw to the tune of an 80-35 record over a 4 year period. After that, he was 74-80, pitching with the Yankees, Angels, Athletics, and then again with New York until he was an amazing 46 years old. All told, Tommy John won 164 games after his surgery, which is commonplace now, having been performed countless times on players such as Mariano Rivera and Chris Carpenter, to name just a couple.

Retired after the 1989 season, John left baseball with a 288-233 mark and a lifetime ERA of 3.34. The website Baseballreference.com list the pitchers that had similar careers to John on his page, with 6 of the 10 men listed already in the Hall of Fame and Tom Glavine waiting to go in when he hangs his spikes up. Robin Roberts, the great Phillies’ moundsman, has remarkably like numbers as John does, with his 45 shutouts one less than the 46 whitewashings Tommy tossed.

How Tommy John has not been voted into Cooperstown is beyond my comprehension, especially when one considers that he was the first to undergo the surgery that bears his name, with no reference guide as to how it would turn out. His critics would point out that he never won a Cy Young, led the league in an important pitching category, and needed 26 campaigns to put up those numbers. However, I would say in his defense that he was not a strikeout pitcher, relying on finesse and smarts to get batters out. To be able to continue his career when all odds were against him and pitch until 46, with no aid of steroids I might add, is so incredible that the sport of baseball needs to acknowledge his courage, skill, and longevity by finally getting it right and opening the doors of Cooperstown to Tommy John.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/j/johnto01.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_John

By: Prinalgin
Published: 01/17/08