Baseball legend Tommy John sent a heartbreaking farewell statement to the New York Yankees and its fans as he battles mysterious health problems.
John, 83, is famous for being the first player to undergo the elbow surgery that is now named after him and has helped countless pitchers to save their careers.
The four-time All-Star played for the Yankees for eight years across two spells between 1979-1982 and 1986-1989. He played 214 games for New York, winning 91.
John and other Yankees legends were honored during the team’s Old-Timers’ Day on Saturday before their game against the Atlanta Braves but he was unable to make the ceremony in person.
He has battled bladder cancer and other issues in recent years, but it remains to be seen if those are related to his current health problems.
The Yankees said he was at his home in Bradenton, Florida, where, according to Reuters, he was in hospice care. The team released a statement from him on social media and he told Yankees fans: ‘I will never forget you.’
Baseball legend Tommy John has sent a heartbreaking farewell statement to Yankees fans
John couldn’t be at the ceremony on Saturday as the former pitcher is batting health problems
Former Yankees’ players pose for a picture during the Yankees Old-Timers’ Day ceremony
‘I want to thank the Yankees organization & the Steinbrenner family for giving me this opportunity to say goodbye to everyone, along with all the friends & fans who followed me throughout my 26-year career,’ John wrote.
‘Thank you to all the fans who supported me & my teammates for 26 years. I will never forget you.
‘The day I left for my first job as a pitcher, my father looked at me & said, “Good luck, Tommy. Just remember one thing: whether you make it big in the big leagues or you don’t, you’ll always just be Tommy John from Terre Haute, Indiana.”
‘I’ve never forgotten those words. Thank you & God Bless.’
John had already been an All-Star with the Chicago White Sox and played for the Los Angeles Dodgers when he injured his UCL in his elbow in 1974.
At the time, many considered it to be a career-ending issue but Dodgers team doctor Dr. Frank Jobe performed the procedure on him and he went on to pitch for another 14 years.
‘Thanks to Dr. Jobe, who saved my arm & made it possible for me to continue pitching,’ John added in a statement. ‘That surgery has since gone on to save the careers of countless pitchers, including many of the very best in the game today.’
John’s former Yankees teammate Ron Guidry also paid tribute to him during the ceremony. He said: ‘He had almost 300 wins, on top of everything else he did.
‘It was great having him on the team. He was so knowledgeable. When we were together, we were pretty much 1-2 on the staff and having him around gave me great comfort.
‘He could talk and it was nice to have him around because he would answer any question you had and he did so much in the game.’
