{"id":851383,"date":"2026-08-09T04:06:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T04:06:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/851383\/"},"modified":"2026-08-09T04:06:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T04:06:13","slug":"former-dodgers-all-star-3-time-world-series-champion-sends-goodbye-after-hospice-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/851383\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Dodgers All-Star, 3-Time World Series Champion Sends \u2018Goodbye\u2019 After Hospice Update"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Los<\/p>\n

LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 03: A detail shot of the Los Angeles Dodgers logo on the pitcher’s mound with confetti during the Los Angeles Dodgers World Series Championship celebration at Dodger Stadium on Monday, November 3, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jessie Alcheh\/MLB Photos via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

MLB Photos via Getty Images<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Dodgers are looking to turn around a harsh losing streak and return to their march toward a third straight World Series championship as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

But on Saturday, the results on the diamond were put aside for a moment when a franchise legend, multi-time All-Star, multi-time World Series champion and former broadcaster issued a goodbye to all of his fans after a historic career.<\/p>\n

ForbesRed Sox 4-Year Infielder Cut By Mets Immediately After Trade DeadlineBy Peter Chawaga<\/a>Former Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star Tommy John Sends Heartfelt Message As Health Wanes<\/p>\n

For more than five decades following his playing career with the Dodgers, New York Yankees and others, Tommy John\u2019s name has been inseparable from one of baseball\u2019s most significant medical breakthroughs. Now, after the former pitcher was admitted into hospice care, he sent a message to fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you to all the fans who supported me and my teammates for 26 years. I will never forget you,\u201d John said in a written message shared by the Yankees, according to MLB.com\u2019s Bryan Hoch<\/a>.<\/p>\n

John, 83, is currently in hospice care at his home<\/a> in Bradenton, Florida, bringing a difficult new chapter to the life of a pitcher whose career once appeared to be over before it truly began. In 1974, John was pitching for the Dodgers when he suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. At the time, such an injury was widely considered career-ending.<\/p>\n

Instead, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Frank Jobe attempted an experimental procedure that would eventually become known as Tommy John surgery. <\/p>\n

\u201cThanks to Dr. [Frank] Jobe, who saved my arm and made it possible for me to continue pitching,\u201d John added in his goodbye message. \u201cThat surgery has since gone on to save the careers of countless pitchers, including many of the very best in the game today.\u201d<\/p>\n

The numbers illustrate just how extraordinary the second act of his career became. John went 124-106 with a 2.97 ERA during his first 12 major league seasons, then returned from surgery to go 164-125 with a 3.66 ERA over the remainder of his career.<\/p>\n

ForbesPhillies Superstar Attacks Blue Jays\u2019 Disappointment After In-Game AltercationBy Peter Chawaga<\/a>Former Los Angeles Dodgers Star Sends Emotional Goodbye<\/p>\n

John’s longevity made him much more than the namesake of a surgical procedure. He became a four-time All-Star and eventually worked as a broadcaster for the Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees after his playing career ended.<\/p>\n

Now, however, John is confronting a health battle that has prompted him to look back on his decades in baseball.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 03: A detail shot of the Los Angeles Dodgers logo on the pitcher’s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":851384,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[49,48,68165,1522,487,462,82],"class_list":["post-851383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-la-dodgers","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-dodgers","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/851383","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=851383"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/851383\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/851384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=851383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=851383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=851383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}