Tommy John, namesake of elbow surgery, dies at 83

Former major league pitcher Tommy John, the namesake behind the pioneering elbow surgery that prolonged his career for 14 more years, died Saturday at the age of 83, the New York Yankees said in a statement. John died at his home in Bradenton, Florida. A cause of death was not given, but he had battled bladder cancer and other ailments in recent years.

"The New York Yankees mourn the passing of Tommy John, who was a bedrock of our rotation during his time in pinstripes and a longtime favorite of Yankees fans," the team said in its statement.

John shared a vague message about his health after missing the Yankees' Old-Timers Day on Aug. 8, saying he wanted to say goodbye to everyone, along with all the friends and fans who followed him throughout his 26-year career. "I will never forget you," John said in the message posted to social media.

After suffering what had been up to then considered a career-ending injury, John, then 31, underwent ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery on his left pitching elbow in 1974, performed by Dr. Frank Jobe. The procedure was named after John and has since become commonplace, performed on thousands of players with a typical recovery time of a year to 18 months.

Besides eight seasons with the Yankees, for whom he won 91 games over two separate stints, John pitched for the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, California Angels, Cleveland Indians and Oakland Athletics.