Dr Frank Jobe, who performed the first surgery that would be later be known as Tommy John surgery, will be honored by the Baseball Hall of Fame during the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies on July 27th in Cooperstown.
In 1974, Jobe performed the ligament replacement surgery on John, successfully repairing what was once thought to be a career-ending injury. John didn't pitch at all in 1975, but was back with the Dodgers for the 1976 season and continued to pitch in the majors until 1989.
The surgery has become almost routine in today's game, with numerous players (both on and off the mound) undergoing the surgery to repair elbow injuries, the most recent of which has been Cardinals shortstop Rafael Furcal. Other notables to have the surgery in recent years include Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals, Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann of the Nationals, Tim Hudson and Brandon Beachy of the Braves, and Carl Crawford of the Dodgers.
People have been clamoring for Jobe to be honored by baseball for years, and it's awesome to see him finally getting his due from a sport that he influenced more than he could have imagined when peerforming that first surgery on John nearly 40 years ago.
[Dodgers]
