Tommy John[1] pitched in the big leagues from 1963 to 1989 and won 288 games. Only 25 MLB pitchers have won more.
But check out his 27 years of statistics[2], and you’ll see one year is blank: 1975. That’s because in the fall of 1974, John underwent surgery for a ligament tear in his elbow[3], an injury once considered career-ending.
John was the first pitcher to return to action[4] after suffering such an injury. In...