Baseball’s Game Changer
Baseball lost a pioneer this week. Perhaps nobody has done more for baseball than one surgeon. There’s an operation called… Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction while using the palmaris longus tendon. Nobody calls it that though.
It’s called Tommy John surgery… and there’s no surgery that has saved more big leaguers careers.
124 current pitchers have had the surgery. That’s an unbelievable one third of all big league pitchers.
Before Dr. Frank Jobe attempted this radical procedure on Tommy John, this condition meant your career was OVER.
John pitched 14 more yrs, got 161 more victories & never missed another start because of elbow problems. If there was a Sports Medicine Hall of Fame, Jobe would be its Babe Ruth.
About 15 years after the original Tommy John surgery, Jobe performed a miracle reconstruction on Orel Hershiser’s entire shoulder allowing him to pitch for another decade.
Hershiser said he “gave me back my career” and “may have touched more wins & saves than anyone in baseball”. When he returned to the mound after the surgery, Hershiser bowed his head in silent prayer, placed his cap on his head & saluted Dr. Jobe.
When they take the mound this opening day, every pitcher should do the same. For many of them, there IS no opening day if not for Dr. Frank Jobe.