W3WN
03-07-2014, 11:42 AM
Dr. Frank Jobe passed away yesterday (03/06) in Santa Monica, CA, after an undisclosed illness. He was 88.
Who, you might be asking, was Dr. Frank Jobe?
The inventor of the (allegedly) most famous surgery in sports medicine: Tommy John surgery.
Jobe changed the course of baseball history when, in 1974, he replaced the torn medial collateral ligament in left-hander Tommy John's elbow with a tendon from John's forearm. John went on to pitch 14 years after the operation, compiling 164 more victories without ever missing a start because of an elbow problem.
The procedure became known as "Tommy John" surgery, and it prolonged the careers of hundreds of other pitchers, including stars such as John Smoltz (http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/2077/john-smoltz), Kerry Wood (http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/3821/kerry-wood) and Stephen Strasburg (http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/30373/stephen-strasburg).
A 2013 study found that 124 active pitchers, about one-third of those in the majors, had undergone Tommy John surgery at some point in their careers. Before Jobe, such an injury was certain to end a pitcher's career.
http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/story/_/id/10566130/dr-frank-jobe-pioneer-tommy-john-surgery-dies-age-88
Who, you might be asking, was Dr. Frank Jobe?
The inventor of the (allegedly) most famous surgery in sports medicine: Tommy John surgery.
Jobe changed the course of baseball history when, in 1974, he replaced the torn medial collateral ligament in left-hander Tommy John's elbow with a tendon from John's forearm. John went on to pitch 14 years after the operation, compiling 164 more victories without ever missing a start because of an elbow problem.
The procedure became known as "Tommy John" surgery, and it prolonged the careers of hundreds of other pitchers, including stars such as John Smoltz (http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/2077/john-smoltz), Kerry Wood (http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/3821/kerry-wood) and Stephen Strasburg (http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/30373/stephen-strasburg).
A 2013 study found that 124 active pitchers, about one-third of those in the majors, had undergone Tommy John surgery at some point in their careers. Before Jobe, such an injury was certain to end a pitcher's career.
http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/story/_/id/10566130/dr-frank-jobe-pioneer-tommy-john-surgery-dies-age-88