DR HQ: Anatomy 101—Tommy John Surgery
Aug 15 2013
The most important sports medicine event in baseball history occurred in 1974. Dr. Frank Jobe completed the first ligament replacement procedure on left-handed pitcher Tommy John. It was reconstruction of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in John’s elbow, which had torn in 1974. Up until then, a pitcher with a torn UCL usually saw his career end with that news. Dr. Jobe believed he could take an unessential tendon (palmaris longus) from John’s non-throwing arm’s wrist, replace the torn UCL in the left elbow with it, and—with a rigorous rehab—Tommy John could pitch again. In 1976, John was reborn as a pitcher, and ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery would bear his name from then on.
The UCL
The ulnar collateral ligament...
Almost!
You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!
Already a subscriber? Sign in here
More From The Big Hurt
Apr 9 2025 3:05am
Apr 7 2025 3:04am
Not a terrible first week, unless you have Jared Jones. Still, quite a few injuries early on.
Mar 31 2025 3:25am
Mar 31 2025 3:25am
The number of injuries in the spring can be overwhelming. We'll try to take a look at the ones that could hurt the most.
FREE
Mar 20 2025 3:10am
FREE
Mar 20 2025 3:10am
We'll look at some injuries from the off-season and earlier and assess their impact on 2025.
Mar 6 2025 3:06am
Mar 6 2025 3:06am
