Tommy John Surgery Career Arc & Pitching Analytics Explorer

Career Pitching Splits & Timeline Scrub Active: All 26 Seasons

Pre-Surgery (1963-74)

124 W

2.97 ERA · 253 GS

Post-Surgery (1976-89)

164 W

3.43 ERA · 447 GS

Career Total

288 W

3.34 ERA · 4,710 IP

Era View Mode:

Chart Metric:

Dr. Jobe UCL Biomechanics & Recovery Simulator Est. Valgus Torque: 68 N·m

Fastball Velocity: 89 mph

Arm Slot Angle: 38°

July 17, 1974: Cruising with a 13-3 record and 2.59 ERA for the Dodgers, Tommy John felt a catastrophic pop in his left elbow throwing a sinker to Hal Breeden. Medial collateral ligament completely detached; stated historical odds of return were under 1%.

Historical UCL Pioneer vs Modern Pitcher Cohort Benchmarks Archival TWIB Data

Pitcher / Procedure Era	Surgery Date	Surgeon	Pre-Surgery W	Post-Surgery W	Post Career IP	Post All-Star / Awards
Tommy John (LHP, Pioneer)	Sep 25, 1974	Dr. Frank Jobe	124	164	2,544.1	3x All-Star, 2x Cy Young Runner-Up
John Smoltz (RHP, Hall of Fame)	Mar 23, 2000	Dr. James Andrews	157	56 (154 SV)	1,395.0	5x All-Star, Rolaids Relief Award
Chris Carpenter (RHP, Cy Young)	Jul 24, 2007	Dr. George Paletta	101	43	628.2	2x All-Star, NL ERA Leader (2009)
Stephen Strasburg (RHP, WS MVP)	Sep 3, 2010	Dr. Lewis Yocum	5	108	1,407.1	3x All-Star, 2019 World Series MVP