Tommy John, subject of revolutionary elbow surgery that changed baseball forever, dies at 83

Tommy John, a four-time All-Star Major League Baseball pitcher, has died at his home in Florida at the age of 83. John is best known for undergoing a pioneering and then-experimental ligament-replacement surgery in 1974, a procedure that now bears his name.

The surgery, which successfully repaired his elbow, became a medical milestone that fundamentally altered the sport. By providing a viable path to recovery for injured athletes, the operation has since saved the careers of countless pitchers across professional baseball.