Tommy John bid an emotional farewell to Yankees fans before Old-Timers’ Day, issuing a statement through the team as he battles health issues from his Florida home.
Saturday’s message did not specify John’s condition, but in 2024, the former left-hander announced he had been diagnosed with bladder cancer.
“I want to thank the Yankees organization and the Steinbrenner family for giving me this opportunity to say goodbye to everyone, along with all the family and friends who followed me throughout my 26-year MLB career,” read John’s message.
“Thank you to all the fans who supported me and my teammates for 26 years. I’ll never forget you.”
John, 83, went 288-231 with a 3.34 ERA over 760 games (700 starts) from 1963-89, pitching for Cleveland, the Chicago White Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the California Angels, the Oakland A’s and the Yankees.
He totaled eight seasons with the Yankees over a pair of stints from 1979-82 and 1986-89. He went 91-60 with a 3.59 ERA as a Yankee.
A four-time All-Star, John’s legacy transcends his on-field excellence. On Sept. 25, 1974, John underwent a then-unprecedented surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his left elbow.
The successful operation – now known as Tommy John surgery – extended John’s career by more than a decade, marking a medical breakthrough that’s now commonplace among MLB pitchers, including current Yankees such as Max Fried (2014), Gerrit Cole (2025) and Clarke Schmidt (2025).
John’s surgeon, Dr. Frank Jobe, was among those he thanked in Saturday’s message, which he concluded with a heartfelt memory from the start of his career.
“The day I left for my first job as a pitcher,” John’s message reads, “my father looked at me and said, ‘Good luck, Tommy John. Just remember one thing: Whether you make it in the big leagues or you don’t, you’ll always just be Tommy John from Terre Haute, Indiana.’
“I’ve never forgotten those words. Thank you and God Bless.”