25. Tommy John
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Long before his name became the two most feared words in baseball, Tommy John was a very accomplished pitcher. John’s career began in 1963 with the Indians. After two seasons in Cleveland, John joined the White Sox and posted back-to-back 14-win seasons. Following a seven-year stint with the Sox, John went to Los Angeles — the place where he would eventually become synonymous with pitching injuries. After a stellar start to his tenure with the Dodgers in which he went 40-15 with a 2.89 ERA, John injured his UCL and underwent what is now known as Tommy John surgery.
John missed all of the ’75 season but miraculously returned to pitch the best baseball of his career from ’77-80. In ’77, John won 20 games with the Dodgers and finished runner-up for the Cy Young. His final year in LA resulted in an eighth-place finish. John then joined the Yankees and proceeded to go 43-18 in his first two seasons — finished second for the Cy in Year 1 and fourth in Year 2. John pitched through 1989 and retired at the age of 46. In total, John won 288 games.
