“Should Be in the Hall of Fame,” Keith Hernandez Calls for Induction of Tommy John Into HOF Following His Passing

4-time All-Star and MLB trailblazer Tommy John passed away on Saturday night at the age of 83 in Bradenton, Florida.

“Should Be in the Hall of Fame,” Keith Hernandez Calls for Induction of Tommy John Into HOF Following His Passing

Keith Hernandez and Tommy John (Image via NY Post/ESPN)

On Saturday night, the MLB world lost trailblazer Tommy John. The 83-year-old passed away at his home in Bradenton, Florida. As tributes poured in, New York Mets great Keith Hernandez called for the induction of the late great into the MLB Hall of Fame.

John, nicknamed “the Bionic Man,” played 26 seasons in the major leagues across 6 teams. He finished with a 288-231 record with a career ERA of 3.34 and 2,245 strikeouts. Despite these numbers, he is not in the MLB Hall of Fame.

He has the second most wins of any pitcher since 1900 to not be in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. While remembering him on Sunday, Hernandez opened up about his first time facing John.

During the broadcast, the former Mets star spoke about the slider he faced from John. He then promoted his induction into the MLB Hall of Fame and honored him.

That big slider away. I remember when I first took it, I went, oh my God, I’ve never seen a slider from a left-hander like that before. Not in triple-A. He was just a great pitcher. He was a very man of faith. And just a wonderful man. And he’ll be missed. He should be in the Hall of Fame. I’m going to continue to promote him for that.

Keith Hernandez said regarding Tommy John

Born on May 22, 1943, John was signed by the Cleveland Indians at the age of 18 in 1961. After some time in the minor leagues, he made his official MLB debut on September 6, 1963.

After 2 seasons with the Indians, he joined the Chicago White Sox. In 7 seasons in Chicago, John appeared in 237 games (219 starts) and earned an All-Star nomination in 1968.

He then spent 6 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the 1974 season, he was 13-3 with a 2.59 ERA. On July 17 against the Montreal Expos, he suffered an elbow injury.

The southpaw had damaged his ulnar collateral ligament. After having no improvement, Dr. Frank Jobe, the team physician of the Dodgers, conducted a ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction. While this surgery had been done on wrists and hands, it had never been done on an elbow.

Dr. Jobe gave him a 1 in 100 chance for the surgery to be successful. After being out for the entire 1975 season, John returned to the mound in 1976.

The surgery was a major success. John ended up playing 14 more seasons after the operation and earned 3 more All-Star nominations (2 with the New York Yankees). The surgery was thus named after him. Several MLB pitchers have since undergone this procedure and returned to the field.

Apart from the Indians, White Sox, Dodgers, and the Yankees, John also played for the California Angels and Oakland Athletics. In his 26 seasons, he only appeared in 5 postseasons (1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, and 1982) and never won the World Series, losing in 77 and 78 with the Dodgers and in 81 with the Yankees.

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Tommy John had shared a message to the Yankees before his passing

Tommy John passed away on August 15th. The cause of his death was not given. Reports claimed that he had been in hospice and diagnosed with bladder cancer and other ailments. Just a few days before his passing, he had shared a message with New York Yankees fans.

Tommy John
Tommy John during his time with the New York Yankees (Image via X/@OTBaseballPhoto)

Following his comeback from the surgery, he spent 3 years with the Dodgers, earning his 2nd All-Star nod in 1978. He then joined the Bronx Bombers and was an Opening Day Starter for them 3 times.

In 1979 and 1980, he earned 2 more All-Star nominations and had some impressive numbers. During the Old-Timers Day this month, John shared a message to the fans through the Yankees in a letter. In the emotional message, he thanked the organization and the Steinbrenner family.

I want to thank the Yankees organization and the Steinbrenner family for giving me this opportunity to say goodbye to everyone, along with all the friends and fans who followed me throughout my 26-year career… Thank you to all the fans who supported me and my teammates for 26 years. I will never forget you.

Tommy John wrote

In their statement, the Yankees mourned the passing of one of their former players and extended their condolences to his family.

John could be inducted into the Hall of Fame through the next Classic Baseball Era Committee in 2027. In 2024, he fell short by receiving 7 out of the 12 required votes.

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