Former Dodgers Pitcher Offers Wild Theory Why He Isn't In Hall of Fame

Maren Angus-Coombs | 2 Hours Ago

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Fifty years ago, Tommy John underwent surgery to repair his elbow. The surgery was named after him and forever changed baseball.

For someone who had such a huge impact on the sport, it's a wonder why he isn't in the Baseball Hall of Fame. When he retired, he had 288 wins and a 3.34 ERA, but he never garnered more than 31.7 percent of the vote from writers.

John, who is 81, is one of the most famous pitchers of all-time and has a theory why he isn't enshrined in Cooperstown.

In an interview on The Michael Kay Show, John said it had to do with his political views — one voting decision in particular.

"Maybe because I voted for Donald Trump," John said with a chuckle.

Tommy John tells The Michael Kay Show he's not in the Hall of Fame because he voted for Trump. Tommy John was on the ballot from 1995-2009. pic.twitter.com/pxp7AruPGS

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 25, 2024

“Probably,” John continued, laughing. “I don’t know. I have no idea. If I knew and I could do something, I would do it.”

The reality for John is that it has nothing to do with his political views. He was on the writers' ballot from 1995 to 2009, and Trump didn't run until 2016.

He was also on four Era Committee ballots in 2011, 2014, 2018 and 2020. That is voted on mainly by Hall of Fame players and executives. Unfortunately, he never garnered enough votes for his actual total to be announced, according to a post on social media by Jay Jaffe of FanGraphs.

Tommy John has also been a candidate on 4 Era Committee ballots (2011, ‘14, ‘18, ‘20), voted on mainly by HOF players and executives. Not once did he get enough votes for his actual total to be announced. It’s not politics that’s kept him out https://t.co/hkIRRKnYh8

— Jay Jaffe (@jay_jaffe) September 25, 2024

John went to pitch for another 14 years after the groundbreaking surgery.

“It’s amazing how many careers that surgery has saved," John told Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports from his Florida home. “It was just an experimental surgery. I would have tried many things to come back and pitch. I told Dr. Jobe, do whatever you can to fix it. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, hey, we gave it our best.

“Thank God it worked. It was such a blessing. The only thing I hate is that 50 years later, it’s needed more than ever, and that’s sad. You would think with modern training and techniques, pitchers wouldn’t need that surgery as much."

John spent 26 seasons in the big leagues from 1963-89, making four All-Star teams in stints with the then-Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Dodgers, New York Yankees, then-California Angels, and Oakland A’s. 

He finished with a 288-231 record and 2,245 strikeouts.