Tommy John

Thomas Edward John Jr., born May 22, 1943 and nicknamed "the Bionic Man," is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 26 seasons in Major League Baseball between 1963 and 1989. Signed by the Cleveland Indians in 1961 at the age of 18, when the club was impressed with his curveball, he spent three seasons in the minor leagues before being called up for the first time in 1963. He pitched two seasons for Cleveland before being traded to the Chicago White Sox, with whom he spent seven seasons. John established himself as a major league starter in 1965 and became Chicago's Opening Day starter in 1966. In 1968 he finished fifth in the American League with a 1.98 earned run average and was named to his first All-Star team. Over his career he also pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, California Angels, and Oakland Athletics. Noted for his longevity, John was a four-time MLB All-Star and was the Opening Day starter six times — three times for the White Sox (1966, 1970, and 1971) and three times for the Yankees (1981, 1982, and 1989). He retired with 288 wins, the second-most of any pitcher since 1900 who is not in the Hall of Fame.