Former Yankees SP Tommy John pens 'goodbye' letter to fans amid health issues

Saturday was the 78th Old-Timers’ Day put on by the New York Yankees, which sees former players come back to the ballpark for a reunion and to play a little baseball.

While former starting pitcher Tommy John was not in attendance, he did pick Saturday to release a “goodbye” letter to friends and fans through the Yankees.

John began the letter by thanking the Yankees organization and the Steibrenner family for the chance to say goodbye. The former pitcher announced in 2024 that he had been diagnosed with and was battling bladder cancer.

The post from the Yankees says that John is battling health issues from his home in Florida, but USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported Saturday that John is currently in hospice care, making the letter even more poignant.

The former pitcher thanked the doctor who revolutionized the elbow surgery that allowed John to continue pitching and tally a 26-year career. “Tommy John” surgery is now a very common elbow surgery for pitchers, helping them to extend their careers.

John made it to the big leagues in 1963 in Cleveland. 11 years later, he suffered an elbow injury that was considered career-ending. Dr. Frank Jobe performed ligament replacement surgery, which caused John to be sidelined the entirety of the 1975 season.

The pitcher returned in 1976, becoming the first player to ever return to the game following the surgery. John went on to pitch another 13 seasons, finishing up his career in New York in 1989.

He was a four-time All-Star and spent time with the Cleveland Guardians (then-Indians), Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Yankees, Los Angeles Angels (then-California Angels) and Athletics between 1963 and 1989.

John finished his lengthy career with a 288-231 record over 760 appearances. He had a career 3.34 ERA and threw 162 complete games, with 91 of them coming after his elbow surgery.