1979 Profile: Tommy John

1979 AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR
"Another rich Yankee, thanks to the free agent draft. Tommy takes unfair advantage of hitters because he uses both his left and right arms to pitch- in 1974, Dr. Frank Jobe used a tendon from his right forearm to reconstruct the ligament in his left elbow. It took a year of rehabilitation to turn his left hand from a shriveled hook to a usable hand.
Tommy's sinker induces the ground ball, and that should do him just fine in the caverns of Yankee Stadium. He lost to the Yankees in the '77 World Series, but pitched a victory in the World Series opener last year.
Born in Terre Haute, Indiana, his 17 victories in '78 for the Dodgers was his eighth consecutive season in double figures. He has won 47 games since returning to baseball in '76 from the surgery.
Tommy's ambition is to race in the Baja 500 Off-Road race."

-Phil Pepe and Jim Hawkins, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1979 Edition

"The man with the bionic arm joins the Yankees in 1979. Tommy John, one of the Yankees' main adversaries in the 1977 and '78 World Series, has rejoined the American League and will wear the Yankee pinstripes.
Tommy's been in the major leagues for 16 seasons, the last seven with the Dodgers. While there, he posted an 87-42 mark, a sparkling .674 winning percentage, and over the last two years he has won 37 games.
But it hasn't always been that way for Tommy John. The outgoing left-hander, who always seems to have something to say, thought his career might be over on July 17, 1974 when he ruptured a ligament in his left elbow. Dr. Frank Jobe reconstructed the elbow using a tendon from his right forearm. But he gave Tommy the bad news that he'd never pitch again.
But Dr. Jobe didn't know Tommy John. Hard work and exercise became T.J.'s trademark and a year and a half later he was pitching ... and winning in the major leagues. When that 1976 season ended, Tommy was voted the N.L.'s Comeback Player of the Year. The rest, as they say, is history- except the final chapter in Tommy John's career, in New York, with the Yankees.
Welcome aboard, T.J., it's nice to have you here."

-The New York Yankees Official 1979 Yearbook

"Tommy John, a 16-year veteran of the major leagues, returns to the American League after spending the last seven years in the National League with the Dodgers. He ran up an 87-42 record in the NL with the Dodgers, a .674 winning percentage.
Tommy had his best year with them in 1977, with a 20-7 mark and a 2.78 ERA. He had an eight-game win streak that year and won 14 of his final 17 decisions. He pitched his career low-hit game that year, a 2-hitter over the Reds. He finished second to Steve Carlton in the Cy Young voting that year.
Tommy was 17-10 for the Dodgers last year, the eighth straight season that he had double figures in wins. He started off fast last year, and was 4-0 in April with a 1.80 ERA and had a 3-1 mark in July with a 1.95 ERA. He was used in relief three times last year, with a win and a save, not allowing any runs. Tommy suffered an injury to his left calf in a game with the Braves on September 9. He then missed a few starts, not starting again until September 26.
Tommy had a 4-hitter against the Pirates during the regular season. He also had a 4-hit shutout over Philadelphia in the second game of the NLCS. Tommy beat the Yanks in the World Series opener, 11-5.
Tommy made one of the greatest comebacks in baseball history. He ruptured a ligament in his left elbow on July 17, 1974 against Montreal, and then underwent surgery on September 25, as a tendon from his right forearm was used in the reconstruction of his left elbow. The operation, performed by Dr. Frank Jobe, was the first of its kind; as a matter of fact, Jobe told Tommy he wouldn't pitch again.
After working hard, running, exercising and undergoing therapy, and after sitting out the '75 regular season, Tommy appeared in the Arizona Instructional League that fall. He came back in 1976 to record a 10-10 mark with a 3.09 ERA and won the National League Comeback Player of the Year honors. He also won the Fred Hutchinson Award that year.
Prior to coming to the Dodgers, Tommy spent two years with Cleveland and seven years with the White Sox, accumulating an 84-91 record in the American League. In his first big league game, Tommy beat Baltimore on 72 pitches, 6-0. He had a good year in 1965 with the White Sox (10-5, 1.98 ERA); in early August, however, he was involved in a fight with Dick McAuliffe and suffered a broken collarbone, sidelining him for the season, after pitching in 25 games. Tommy has won in double figures 12 out of his 15 years in the majors. He led the National League in winning percentage in 1973 and '74. In 1974 he was off to his best year and had a 13-3 mark when the injury came about. Tommy had his best record against the Dodgers' toughest opponents; he was 12-3 lifetime over the Reds and 8-2 over the Giants. He was an All-Star in 1968 and 1978.
Tommy graduated from Terre Haute Gerstmeyer High School where he received 35 scholarship offers- all in basketball. He had his best year in the minors in 1963 at Charleston, where he was 9-2 with a 1.61 ERA to earn a promotion to Jacksonville and then to Cleveland.
He's an outstanding golfer."

-New York Yankees 1979 Media Guide