Tommy John surgery (TJS), known in medical practice as ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction, is a surgical graft procedure in which the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere from the patient's own body, or the use of a tendon from the donated tissue from a cadaver. The procedure is common among collegiate and professional athletes in several sports, most notably baseball. The procedure was first performed in 1974 by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Frank Jobe, then a Los Angeles Dodgers team physician. The surgery is named after Tommy John, the first recipient of the surgery. John won 288 games in his career – 124 before the surgery and 164 after. Many players have subsequently undergone the surgery, some more than once. Three players (Paul Molitor, John Smoltz, and Billy Wagner) have undergone the surgery and been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Pitcher Hong-Chih Kuo underwent the surgery a record four times before making a return to the MLB with the Los Angeles Dodgers, while Tejay Antone had three successive surgeries before making his way back to professional baseball.
List † Denotes a player that underwent the surgery on his non-throwing arm.
References "Tommy John Surgery List". docs.google.com. Retrieved January 9, 2019.






