Remembering Tommy John: 5 Pitchers Who Redefined Career After Tommy John Surgery

Former MLB pitcher Tommy John, who passed away on Sunday, made one of the most significant impacts in the history of baseball. Fifty-two years ago, John underwent a surgery that proved to be revolutionary. He underwent a groundbreaking procedure performed by Dr. Frank Jobe to repair his UCL, and the successful reconstructive procedure became famously known as Tommy John Surgery. More than half a century later, the procedure continues to leave a lasting mark, saving countless careers. What was once considered a career-ending injury for pitchers is now a routine procedure that allows athletes to make full recoveries. As we remember Tommy John, here are five of the most impactful Tommy John surgery recoveries in baseball history. One of the biggest success stories from Tommy John surgery is two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom. Shortly after the New York Mets drafted him in the ninth round of the 2010 MLB Draft, deGrom underwent the procedure in October 2010. He went on to make history as the first pitcher to win back-to-back Cy Young Awards after undergoing Tommy John surgery, doing so with the Mets in the 2018 and 2019 seasons. He’s continued to pitch at an elite level into his late 30s as well, getting named an All-Star for the fifth time in his career in 2025. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2020, Justin Verlander returned with a vengeance in 2022. He not only anchored the Houston Astros to their second World Series title, but he also claimed his third career Cy Young Award. Winning the award placed Verlander in elite company. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2020, he joined a rare group of pitchers to capture a Cy Young Award following the procedure.  Verlander went 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA and 185 strikeouts as a 39-year-old coming off Tommy John surgery in 2022. Recently acquired Los Angeles Dodgers ace Tarik Skubal also underwent Tommy John surgery, but that was back in 2016 while pitching in college for Seattle University. Since fully recovering, Skubal has put together one of the most dominant stretches of pitching in recent baseball history. Pitching for the Detroit Tigers for the majority of his career, he captured consecutive Cy Young awards in 2024 and 2025. He became just the third pitcher in history to win the award multiple times after undergoing Tommy John surgery. One of the biggest “what-ifs” in baseball history is former Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg. After one of the most memorable debuts ever, where he struck out 14 batters, he suffered a major setback, needing Tommy John surgery after just 12 starts. But he was still able to pitch at an elite level when he returned from the surgery in 2011. He led the National League in strikeouts in 2014 and was named an All-Star three times (2012, 2016, 2017). The highlight of Strasburg’s career came in 2019, though. He finished fifth in Cy Young voting that year before leading the Nationals to a World Series title. Strasburg posted a 1.46 ERA alongside a perfect 5-0 record during that stretch. Long before Gagné set the record for 84 consecutive saves, he was a minor league starter whose career was derailed by Tommy John surgery in 1997. His comeback and move to the bullpen became one of the greatest post-surgery success stories in baseball history. Gagné made history in 2003 as the first reliever to win a Cy Young Award after having Tommy John surgery. He delivered one of the most dominant closing seasons ever, going 55-for-55 in save opportunities with a 1.20 ERA and 137 strikeouts in just 82 ⅓ innings in 2023.