Tommy John, who coached in Edmonton, dies at 83

August 18, 2026

By Kevin Glew 

Cooperstowners in Canada 

Legendary left-hander Tommy John died on Saturday night at the age of 83. 

The announcement was made by his agent Mike Maguire on Sunday morning. 

John had suffered a recurrence of bladder cancer and was battling multiple health issues. He died at his home in Bradenton, Fla. 

“The New York Yankees mourn the passing of Tommy John, who was a bedrock of our rotation during his time in pinstripes and a longtime favourite of Yankees fans,” said the Yankees in a statement on Sunday.  

John’s death came just a week after he penned a farewell letter to his fans that was shared on Old-Timers’ Day at Yankee Stadium. 

“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 friends and fans who followed me throughout my 26-year career,” John wrote in his letter.  

Though he was a four-time All-Star who won 288 major league games, John is best known for the ground-breaking surgery that was performed on his elbow in 1974. “Tommy John surgery” has since saved the careers of hundreds of pitchers. 

Following his playing career, John spent two seasons as a pitching coach in the Montreal Expos’ organization – first with the double-A Harrisburg Senators in 2002 and then with the triple-A Edmonton Trappers in 2003. 

Raised in Indiana 

Born in 1943 in Terre Haute, Ind., John was better known for his hoops skills in high school than his pitching prowess. He was recruited by several U.S. colleges to play basketball. 

On the diamond, he was a finesse pitcher who relied on guile and an outstanding curveball taught to him by one of his dad’s friends. He never possessed the velocity that made scouts drool.  

Signed by Cleveland, begins pro career 

But the Cleveland Indians decided to take a flier on the 18-year-old southpaw and signed him as a free agent on June 12, 1961. 

John would post a 10-4 record and a 3.17 ERA in 14 games (13 starts) with class-D Dubuque in his first pro season. His curveball continued to be strength, but he also had good movement on his fastball, which topped out in the high 80s. 

This helped him ascend through the Indians’ system to make his MLB debut in September 1963. He’d register a 2.21 ERA in six big league appearances (three starts) that month, so there were high hopes for John in 1964. However, the 20-year-old hurler struggled to a 2-9 record and a 3.91 ERA while being shuttled between the majors and the minors. 

Dealt to White Sox 

Following that season, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox as part of a three-way deal that brought Rocky Colavito to Cleveland. In the Windy City, John thrived as a starting pitcher, registering four consecutive double-digit win seasons, culminating in his first All-Star Game selection in 1968. 

In total, he’d toe the rubber for seven seasons with the Sox before being swapped to the Los Angeles Dodgers with Steve Huntz for Dick Allen on December 2, 1971. 

Landed with Dodgers 

With the Dodgers, John evolved into an elite starter. After solid seasons in 1972 and 1973, he was 13-3 with a 2.59 ERA in 22 starts in 1974 when something gave out in his pitching elbow in the third inning of his start against the Expos on July 17, 1974.  

At first, the doctors prescribed ice and rest, but after a prolonged period with no improvement, John called Dr. Frank Jobe and asked him to operate.   

Jobe, who had performed a minor elbow surgery on John following the 1972 season, had mentioned a new surgery in which he could replace a ligament in the elbow with a ligament from the wrist. In John’s case, this ligament (from his right wrist) would replace the ruptured ulnar ligament in his left elbow. 

It was the first time this surgery had been performed on a pitcher’s elbow and it was risky, but it turned out to be a tremendous success.  

After undergoing months of grueling rehabilitation, which sidelined him for the 1975 season, John returned to the Dodgers in 1976 and went 10-10 with a 3.09 ERA in 31 starts and was named the National League Comeback Player of the Year.  

Over the next two seasons, he won 20 and 17 games respectively to help the Dodgers capture back-to-back National League pennants.  

Signed by Yankees 

Following the 1978 season, John signed with the Yankees as a free agent and proceeded to have consecutive 20-win seasons and then another solid year in the strike-shortened 1981 campaign to help the Yankees to an American League pennant.  

Latter MLB playing career 

On August 31, 1982, John was traded to the California Angels where he’d pitch for parts of four seasons. 

After a brief tenure with the Oakland A’s in 1985, a 42-year-old John re-signed with the Yankees in 1986. He’d pitch parts of four more seasons with the Bronx Bombers and was the club’s Opening Day starter in 1989 at the age of 45 before being released on May 30 that year. 

Thanks to that revolutionary elbow surgery, John enjoyed one of the longest pitching careers in MLB history. His 26 seasons are the second-most by a big league pitcher to Nolan Ryan (27 seasons). He also ranks near the top in a number of all-time pitching categories, including eighth in starts (700) and 26th in wins (288). 

Following his playing career, John was employed in various roles, including as a TV analyst for ESPN and for various teams. 

Hired by Expos 

In 2002, he was hired by the Montreal Expos to be the pitching coach for their double-A Harrisburg Senators. There he’d mentor a promising young left-hander named Cliff Lee. 

The next year, he was named pitching coach of the Expos’ triple-A Edmonton Trappers.  

“What I ask my pitchers to do, they know I’ve tried it,” John told the Edmonton Journal in April 2003. “And I have a lot of empathy for the guys that aren’t ‘on’ in a particular game. When they pitch poorly, no matter how bad it looks, I’ve done that; probably worse.” 

And the pitchers seemed to enjoy working with John. 

“Tommy can tell the stories,” then Trappers’ right-hander Britt Reames told the Edmonton Journal. “But when talking about pitching, he makes everything simple. He’ll see something that’s going wrong and confront you with it, help you figure it out.” 

While in Edmonton, John also became a CFL football fan, cheering on the hometown squad. 

“Shoot, at the end of the season, I just may stay here and watch a game or two,” he told the Edmonton Journal. 

In December 2006, John was hired to manage the independent Atlantic League’s Bridgeport Bluefish. He served in that role for two-and-a-half seasons. 

Motivational speaker 

Along the way, John, who held deeply Christian beliefs, also worked as a motivational speaker.  

“The day I left for my first job as a pitcher, my father looked at me and said, ‘Good luck, Tommy. Just remember one thing,’” John wrote in his farewell message that was shared on Yankees’ Oldtimers’ Day on Aug. 8, “’whether you make it big 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.” 

John is survived by his wife, Cheryl, daughter, Tamara, and sons Tommy III and Travis. He was predeceased by his son, Taylor. 

Tommy John vs. Canadian MLB teams 

Montreal Expos 

–In 14 appearances (13 starts) against the Expos, John was 6-3 with a 3.43 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 86 2/3 innings. He had three complete games. 

-In five starts at Jarry Park, he went 1-2 with a 3.31 ERA.  He registered 15 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings 

-In two starts at Olympic Stadium, he was hit hard. He was 1-1 with a 7.71 ERA. He permitted 21 hits in just 9 1/3 innings. 

Toronto Blue Jays 

-In 24 appearances (21 starts), he was 7-8 with a 3.23 ERA. He fanned 63 batters in 153 1/3 innings. He tossed five complete games. 

-In 15 games at Exhibition Stadium, he was 3-5 with a 4.00 ERA. He permitted 89 hits in 83 1/3 innings and threw two complete games.