Tommy John passed away not long ago, leaving behind
a glorious but incomplete career. Justice has not yet been
fully served but it will be, one of these days, and Tommy John
will be rewarded properly, as will those who recognize his
great contributions to his magnificent sport.
Tommy John the man has yet to be voted into Cooperstown’s
Hall of Fame. It calls for a monologue as passionate as the
Speech Mark Antony gave to honor Julius Caesar, the
common theme being an injustice which needs to be
corrected. Hall of Famer Addy Joss pitched nine seasons;
Tommy John pitched 26, from 1964 to 1989. Hall of Famer
Bert Blyleven had 287 regular season wins; Tommy John had
288. Blyleven had more losses than John. Whitey Ford had 52
fewer wins than Tommy John. Add to this word picture that
John appeared in four All-Star games and had multiple
20-win seasons. Sandy Koufax, a Hall of Fame pitcher, had
only 165 wins, 123 fewer than John.
The statistics alone should form the red carpet welcoming John
to Cooperstown but do not overlook the pioneer move he
made by being the first to undergo the surgery that bears
his name in order to prolong his career (from ’71 to ’89). Close
to twenty-five hundred players have had their careers extended
by Tommy John surgery, creating both performance and financial
impacts of significant measure. Many such pitchers come back with
impressively increased throwing velocities. All of these players
– and their teams and fan bases – should be rooting for
Tommy John to be posthumously elected into the Major League
Hall of Fame. It’s a long overdue move.