Tommy John, the four-time All-Star whose name became synonymous with the elbow operation that has saved thousands of pitching careers, died Saturday at his home in Bradenton, Florida. He was 83 and had been in hospice care.
John won 288 games over a remarkable 26-year major league career from 1963 through 1989, pitching for Cleveland, the White Sox, Dodgers, Yankees, Angels and Athletics.
But his greatest impact came after he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow in 1974. Dodgers physician Dr. Frank Jobe replaced the damaged ligament with a tendon from John’s right forearm in an experimental operation. John returned in 1976 and went on to win 164 more games — 40 more than he had before the surgery.
The procedure that became known as Tommy John surgery is now commonplace, having extended the careers of thousands of professional and amateur players.
As baseball mourned John, Baltimore continued one of the season’s more unlikely playoff pushes.
The Orioles routed the Tampa Bay Rays 10-2 Sunday for their third straight victory over the team with the American League’s best record. Baltimore erupted for seven runs in the sixth inning, with Colton Cowser hitting a two-run homer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand delivering a three-run double. Jackson Holliday drove in three runs.
Despite still being two games below .500 at 61-63, Baltimore moved into the sixth and final AL playoff position, one game ahead of Toronto. The Orioles have one more game tonight in Tampa before returning home to face the Yankees.
The Phillies also enjoyed a big weekend.
Philadelphia rallied from a 5-0 deficit Sunday to beat Minnesota 7-5 and complete a three-game sweep. Alec Bohm hit a three-run homer, and Bryan De La Cruz delivered a go-ahead two-run single in the eighth. The Phillies improved to 67-58 and hold an NL wild-card position, one game ahead of Arizona.
Philadelphia now returns home to face Miami beginning tonight. The Phillies have some unfinished business with the Marlins, who swept them in Florida several weeks ago and helped send Philadelphia into a difficult stretch.
Pittsburgh remains on the fringes of the race. The Pirates beat Boston 8-3 Sunday behind three RBIs from Nick Yorke, taking the weekend series, but are just 4-6 in their last 10 and sit 6½ games out of a wild-card position. They open a series against Detroit tonight, with Paul Skenes now scheduled to pitch Wednesday after receiving extra rest.
Washington’s hopes also took another hit. The Nationals fell 4-3 to the Mets Sunday, completing a three-game New York sweep. Washington has dropped three straight and is 60-66 after entering the weekend hoping to take advantage of a softer portion of its schedule.
Football, meanwhile, is back — at least the exhibition version.
The NFL preseason opened over the weekend, with the Ravens beating the Eagles 24-7 Saturday night in Baltimore. The Ravens piled up 440 yards while Philadelphia managed only 159, although many established starters saw little or no action.
The games will become more meaningful soon enough. The NFL regular season is only weeks away, college football is approaching, and practices are underway for fall high school sports.
That means across Adams County, football fields, soccer pitches, cross-country courses, volleyball courts and other athletic facilities will soon be busy again.
Source: NPR, MLB, Reuters