Tommy John, namesake for a pioneering elbow surgery that saved his career, dies at 83

The left-handed MLB pitcher was 31 years old when he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow in 1974, an injury that had been a death knell for pitchers' careers up to that point.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3000x2052+0+0/resize/3000x2052!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F25%2F1c%2F9f706cd24418811eb016bc536473%2Fap26228651805218.jpg' alt='Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tommy John praises his late friend, Dr. Frank Jobe, during a 2014 memorial service at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.'/><p>The left-handed MLB pitcher was 31 years old when he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow in 1974, an injury that had been a death knell for pitchers' careers up to that point.</p><p>(Image credit: Damian Dovarganes)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=g-s1-138941' />