R.I.P. Dr. Frank Jobe

Not everyone who makes a significant contribution in the sports world takes the field or manages a team. A case in point is orthopedic surgeon Dr. Frank Jobe. Dr. Jobe pioneered elbow ligament replacement surgery in 1974, performing it for the first time on pitcher Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tommy John. At the time John’s career was essentially over; he was considered to be yet another pitcher whose career was cut short after he “threw out his arm”. There was nothing to lose, so John underwent the experimental procedure.

After rehabbing during the 1975 season, John returned to the majors in 1976 and posted a 10-10 record and ERA of 3.09. The next year, he was 20-7 with a 2.78 ERA. John pitched in the in the majors through the 1989 season, compiling a record of 288-231 with a 3.34 ERA. He won 164 games after the surgery, which is today known to most people as simply “Tommy John surgery”.

Today, Tommy John surgery has become commonplace. Although it is performed on position players with injured elbows, it’s more often performed on pitchers. While the rehab time is still about a year, when the player returns to action, he is often better than he was before the surgery. The list of pitchers past and present whose careers have been saved by the procedure include John Smoltz, Orel Hershiser, C.J. Wilson, Francisco Liriano, Stephen Strasburg, Tim Hudson, and Joe Nathan.

Dr. Jobe, who spent 50 years in the Dodger organization but worked with athletes from many different sports, died March 6th, 2014 at age 88. Last year, Dr. Jobe was honored at the Baseball Hall of Fame for his positive impact on the game. The Hall should go one better on that, and formally enshrine Dr. Jobe for his medical contributions to baseball.

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