YOU DECIDE

He is not in the Hall of Fame; the most votes
He ever got was 31.7% of regular ballots one year.
Even the Veterans’ Committee has rejected him multiple times,
Yet he is credited with changing the course of baseball history.
His name is Tommy John, and he pioneered the surgery that
Prolonged his career and those of Jacob deGrom, Justin
Verlander, Shohei Ohtani, John Smoltz, David Wells – – –
More than one thousand pitchers. John pitched 26 years:
You’ve got to be good to last that long. He is the FDR of
Pitchers, winning 288 games and retiring with a 3.34 ERA.
There are dozens of pitchers in the Hall with fewer than
The number of victories earned by Tommy John.
He pitched 14 seasons after his surgery, winning 164.
His totals include 4710.1 innings pitched, 2245 strikeouts
And three 20-win seasons. How many 20-game winners
Have we had in recent years? “But he had 231 losses,”
You point out, to which I note that Cy Young had 316 losses,
Nolan Ryan had 292, Walter Johnson had 279, Phil Niekro
Had 274, Don Sutton had 256, Bert Blyleven had 250,
Robin Roberts and Warren Spahn had 245, Steve Carlton
And Early Wynn had 244, and Jim Kaat had 237. Each
Of those pitchers was elected into the Hall of Fame. Your
Mind is swishing in a whirlpool by now – – – but when the
Hurly-burly’s done, you must come face-to-face with the
Truth. You must read, compare, think, consider and
Determine: Does Tommy John, passed over by contemporary
Sports writers and veteran ball players numerous times,
Deserve to reside in Cooperstown? You decide.