Tommy John

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1963-1989)

Tommy John was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1989 for 6 teams, including the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 27 seasons. Across 760 career appearances, he went 288-231 with a 3.34 ERA and 2,245 strikeouts. He also batted .157 with 5 home runs. Tommy John was a 4-time All-Star. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 39802.4.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 288–231
ERA 3.34
WHIP 1.28
SO 2,245
Pitcher PIV 39802.4
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / L
Height / Weight
6'3" / 180 lb
Born
5/22/1943 in Terre Haute, IN, USA
MLB Debut
1963-09-06
Last Game
1989-05-25
Awards
4× All-Star

Full name: Thomas Edward John

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Career Pitching Statistics

Tommy John — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
288 231 760 700 162 46 4 4710.1 4,783 1,749 302 1,259 2,245 3.34 39802.4

Career ERA 3.34 vs. league average 3.70 across their career seasons — 9.7% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Tommy John Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1963 CLE AL 0 2 6 3 0 0 0 20.1 23 5 6 9 2.21 3.46 (+36%) 173.8
1964 CLE AL 2 9 25 14 2 1 0 94.1 97 41 35 65 3.91 3.58 (-9%) -324.2
1965 CHA AL 14 7 39 27 6 1 3 183.2 162 63 58 126 3.09 3.50 (+12%) 2498.2
1966 CHA AL 14 11 34 33 10 5 0 223.0 195 65 57 138 2.62 3.52 (+25%) 3409.9
1967 CHA AL 10 13 31 29 9 6 0 178.1 143 49 47 110 2.47 3.30 (+25%) 1148.7
1968 CHA AL 10 5 25 25 5 1 0 177.1 135 39 49 117 1.98 2.98 (+34%) 695.9
1969 CHA AL 9 11 33 33 6 2 0 232.1 230 84 90 128 3.25 3.61 (+10%) 826.6
1970 CHA AL 12 17 37 37 10 3 0 269.1 253 98 101 138 3.27 3.89 (+16%) 923.1
1971 CHA AL 13 16 38 35 10 3 0 229.1 244 92 58 131 3.61 3.47 (-4%) 2234.8
1972 LAN NL 11 5 29 29 4 1 0 186.2 172 60 40 117 2.89 3.26 (+11%) 2192.7
1973 LAN NL 16 7 36 31 4 2 0 218.0 202 75 50 116 3.10 3.75 (+17%) 3116.7
1974 LAN NL 13 3 22 22 5 3 0 153.0 133 44 42 78 2.59 3.63 (+29%) 3494.5
1976 LAN NL 10 10 31 31 6 2 0 207.0 207 71 61 91 3.09 3.51 (+12%) 2358.6
1977 LAN NL 20 7 31 31 11 3 0 220.1 225 68 50 123 2.78 4.00 (+31%) 5454.7
1978 LAN NL 17 10 33 30 7 0 1 213.0 230 78 53 124 3.30 3.69 (+11%) 4325.4
1979 NYA AL 21 9 37 36 17 3 0 276.1 268 91 65 111 2.96 4.00 (+26%) 6576.4
1980 NYA AL 22 9 36 36 16 6 0 265.1 270 101 56 78 3.43 3.84 (+11%) 2374.6
1981 NYA AL 9 8 20 20 7 0 0 140.1 135 41 39 50 2.63 3.58 (+27%) -450.4
1982 NYA AL 10 10 30 26 9 2 0 186.2 190 76 34 54 3.66 3.86 (+5%) 1764.9
1982 CAL AL 4 2 7 7 1 0 0 35.0 49 15 5 14 3.86 3.86 (avg) 28.3
1983 CAL AL 11 13 34 34 9 0 0 234.2 287 113 49 65 4.33 3.87 (-12%) -520.0
1984 CAL AL 7 13 32 29 4 1 0 181.1 223 91 56 47 4.52 3.81 (-19%) -2297.7
1985 CAL AL 2 4 12 6 0 0 0 38.1 51 20 15 17 4.70 3.89 (-21%) -166.2
1985 OAK AL 2 6 11 11 0 0 0 48.0 66 33 13 8 6.19 3.89 (-59%) -1149.0
1986 NYA AL 5 3 13 10 1 0 0 70.2 73 23 15 28 2.93 3.97 (+26%) -352.4
1987 NYA AL 13 6 33 33 3 1 0 187.2 212 84 47 63 4.03 4.29 (+6%) 2024.0
1988 NYA AL 9 8 35 32 0 0 0 176.1 221 88 46 81 4.49 3.73 (-20%) 857.5
1989 NYA AL 2 7 10 10 0 0 0 63.2 87 41 22 18 5.80 3.71 (-56%) -1416.9
Career · 28 seasons 288 231 760 700 162 46 4 4,710.1 4,783 1,749 1,259 2,245 3.34 — 39,802

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Tommy John — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
761 900 43 141 13 0 5 54 0 33 211 .157 .187 .188 .375 -6,077

Career AVG .157 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — 38.5% below league average.

Career OBP .187 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — 41.7% below league average.

Career SLG .188 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — 50.5% below league average.

Career OPS .375 vs. league average .699 across their career seasons — 46.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Tommy John Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1963 CLE AL 6 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
1964 CLE AL 25 24 3 5 0 0 0 1 0 0 7 .208 — — — — 0.0
1965 CHA AL 39 59 4 10 1 0 1 2 0 3 22 .169 .245 (-31%) .310 (-33%) .371 (-36%) .682 (-35%) -309.9
1966 CHA AL 34 69 6 10 1 0 2 8 0 3 21 .145 .248 (-42%) .309 (-42%) .376 (-35%) .685 (-38%) -402.6
1967 CHA AL 31 51 0 8 0 0 0 2 0 1 12 .157 .242 (-35%) .306 (-45%) .357 (-56%) .663 (-51%) -389.9
1968 CHA AL 25 62 3 12 1 0 1 9 0 0 15 .194 .236 (-18%) .298 (-35%) .340 (-24%) .638 (-29%) -271.3
1969 CHA AL 33 79 6 9 2 0 0 1 0 7 27 .114 .248 (-54%) .320 (-43%) .369 (-62%) .689 (-53%) -651.7
1970 CHA AL 38 84 4 17 1 0 0 5 0 2 17 .202 .253 (-20%) .325 (-29%) .385 (-44%) .711 (-38%) -490.5
1971 CHA AL 38 69 3 10 0 0 0 2 0 3 14 .145 .249 (-42%) .316 (-43%) .365 (-60%) .682 (-52%) -540.9
1972 LAN NL 29 63 3 10 0 0 0 2 0 0 10 .159 .243 (-35%) .310 (-49%) .353 (-55%) .664 (-52%) -486.3
1973 LAN NL 36 74 3 15 1 0 0 7 0 4 17 .203 .256 (-21%) .325 (-25%) .378 (-43%) .703 (-35%) -393.3
1974 LAN NL 22 51 0 6 2 0 0 2 0 2 10 .118 .256 (-54%) .324 (-53%) .369 (-58%) .693 (-56%) -442.1
1976 LAN NL 31 64 3 7 1 0 0 3 0 2 10 .109 .255 (-57%) .320 (-57%) .360 (-65%) .681 (-62%) -597.2
1977 LAN NL 31 79 3 14 1 0 1 4 0 3 14 .177 .264 (-33%) .329 (-38%) .401 (-43%) .730 (-41%) -527.9
1978 LAN NL 33 66 2 8 2 0 0 6 0 3 13 .121 .257 (-53%) .323 (-51%) .378 (-60%) .702 (-56%) -573.3
1979 NYA AL 37 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1980 NYA AL 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1981 NYA AL 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1982 NYA AL 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1982 CAL AL 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1983 CAL AL 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1984 CAL AL 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1985 CAL AL 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1985 OAK AL 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1986 NYA AL 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1987 NYA AL 33 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1988 NYA AL 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1989 NYA AL 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 28 seasons 761 900 43 141 13 0 5 54 0 33 211 .157 — — — — -6,077

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Tommy John — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
14 12 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 .083

Playoff Batting by Year

Tommy John — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1982 ALCS CAL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1981 AEDIV NYA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1981 ALCS NYA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1981 WS NYA 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1980 ALCS NYA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1978 NLCS LAN 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1978 WS LAN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1977 NLCS LAN 2 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .200
1977 WS LAN 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Tommy John — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
6 3 14 13 0 88.1 82 26 24 48 2.65

Playoff Pitching by Year

Tommy John — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1982 ALCS CAL 1 1 2 2 0 12.1 11 7 6 6 5.11
1981 AEDIV NYA 0 1 1 1 0 7.0 8 5 2 0 6.43
1981 ALCS NYA 1 0 1 1 0 6.0 6 1 1 3 1.50
1981 WS NYA 1 0 3 2 0 13.0 11 1 0 8 0.69
1980 ALCS NYA 0 0 1 1 0 6.2 8 2 1 3 2.70
1978 NLCS LAN 1 0 1 1 0 9.0 4 0 2 4 0.00
1978 WS LAN 1 0 2 2 0 14.2 14 5 4 6 3.07
1977 NLCS LAN 1 0 2 2 0 13.2 11 1 5 11 0.66
1977 WS LAN 0 1 1 1 0 6.0 9 4 3 7 6.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1521 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Tommy John — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home3694072062231.152
Away3924932379323.160

Pitching — Home / Away

Tommy John — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home3682364.2234282160810953.12
Away3922345.1244192865111503.56

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Tommy John — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1989-05-25 NYYLAA — 5.1655012
1989-05-18 NYYOAK L 4.1755201
1989-05-13 NYYLAA L 4.2855200
1989-05-07 NYYCHW L 7.11165520
1989-05-02 NYYKCR L 6.21055110
1989-04-27 NYYKCR W 8.0722250
1989-04-22 NYYCLE L 6.2732230
1989-04-16 NYYMIN L 6.21288212
1989-04-09 NYYCLE L 7.0942421
1989-04-04 NYYMIN W 7.01022230

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Tommy John — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 760 700 237 1028 49 69

Season-by-Season Fielding

Tommy John — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1963 CLE P 6 3 1 3 0 0
1964 CLE P 25 14 5 16 0 2
1965 CHA P 39 27 4 51 5 3
1966 CHA P 34 33 8 47 5 0
1967 CHA P 31 29 17 55 2 4
1968 CHA P 25 25 10 54 1 6
1969 CHA P 33 33 16 66 0 4
1970 CHA P 37 37 15 65 8 3
1971 CHA P 38 35 9 34 3 2
1972 LAN P 29 29 11 45 0 3
1973 LAN P 36 31 15 64 1 6
1974 LAN P 22 22 3 36 1 3
1976 LAN P 31 31 3 33 1 2
1977 LAN P 31 31 6 47 1 5
1978 LAN P 33 30 8 45 3 1
1979 NYA P 37 36 15 51 3 5
1980 NYA P 36 36 16 46 1 4
1981 NYA P 20 20 11 27 0 2
1982 NYA P 30 26 8 40 2 1
1982 CAL P 7 7 2 8 0 0
1983 CAL P 34 34 16 39 0 4
1984 CAL P 32 29 15 27 0 2
1985 CAL P 12 6 4 9 0 2
1985 OAK P 11 11 4 13 0 0
1986 NYA P 13 10 4 15 3 2
1987 NYA P 33 33 4 31 5 1
1988 NYA P 35 32 4 40 4 2
1989 NYA P 10 10 3 21 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Tommy John Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 760

Awards & Honors

Tommy John — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1981 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1980 Player of the Week Week of 1980-05-09
1980 TSN All-Star LHP
1979 Pitcher of the Month April
1979 Player of the Week Week of 1979-05-18
1977 Player of the Week Week of 1977-08-12
1976 Hutch Award
1976 TSN Comeback Player of the Year
1974 Player of the Month April
1974 Player of the Week Week of 1974-04-26

Salary History

Tommy John's recorded salaries total $1,825,000 over 4 seasons, 1985 to 1988. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and John's career ran from 1963 to 1989. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1989.

Tommy John — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1988 NYA AL $375,000
1987 NYA AL $350,000
1986 CAL AL $440,000
1986 NYA AL $60,000
1985 OAK AL $600,000
Total recorded salary (partial) $1,825,000

Award Voting History

Tommy John — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1980 Cy Young Award AL 4th 14.0 140 0
1979 Cy Young Award AL 2nd 51.0 140 1
1979 Most Valuable Player AL 22th 5.0 392 0
1978 Cy Young Award NL 8th 1.0 120 0
1977 Cy Young Award NL 2nd 54.0 120 3
1977 Most Valuable Player NL 12th 33.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Tommy John (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Tom Glavine HOF
    305-203, 3.54 ERA
  2. 94
    Jim Kaat HOF
    283-237, 3.45 ERA
  3. 91
    Dennis Martinez
    245-193, 3.70 ERA
  4. 90
    Frank Tanana
    240-236, 3.66 ERA
  5. 84
    Jamie Moyer
    269-209, 4.25 ERA
  6. 82
    Eppa Rixey HOF
    266-251, 3.15 ERA

Compare Tommy John

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against John's closest peers by position and era.

vs Roger Clemens
vs Greg Maddux
vs Nolan Ryan
vs Tom Seaver
vs Gaylord Perry
vs Steve Carlton

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See Tommy John in Another Era

What would John's 1968 season look like in a different era's run environment? Try the cross-era translation with a live slider.

Translate Tommy John's peak season across eras →

Tommy John: the record in brief

Tommy John's major league career runs from a debut on September 6, 1963 to a final game on May 25, 1989. Club by club, the record runs the Cleveland Indians (1963 to 1964), the Chicago White Sox (1965 to 1971), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1972 to 1978), the New York Yankees (1979 through 1989), the California Angels (1982 to 1985), and the Oakland Athletics (1985). John played primarily as a pitcher and threw left-handed and batted right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on May 22, 1943, in Terre Haute, IN, USA and a listed size of 6 feet, 3 inches and 180 pounds. The bio lists the given name Thomas Edward.

The pitching table credits John with a 288-231 record and a 3.34 ERA in 760 games. The same table counts 2,245 strikeouts, 162 complete games, and 46 shutouts. The leagues John pitched in allowed 3.70 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 9.7% better than average.

Frequently Asked Questions about Tommy John

What years did Tommy John play?
Tommy John played in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1989.
Was Tommy John a pitcher?
Yes. Tommy John pitched in the major leagues, recording 288 wins and 2245 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Tommy John hit?
Tommy John hit 5 career home runs with 141 hits.
What teams did Tommy John play for?
Tommy John played for 6 teams: the Cleveland Indians (1963–1964), the Chicago White Sox (1965–1971), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1972–1974, 1976–1978), the New York Yankees (1979–1982, 1986–1989), the California Angels (1982–1985), and the Oakland Athletics (1985).
Did Tommy John win a Cy Young Award?
No. Tommy John did not win the Cy Young Award.
What awards did Tommy John win?
Tommy John was selected to 4 All-Star Games.
What were Tommy John's career stats?
In 760 games, Tommy John went 288-231 with a 3.34 ERA, 2,245 strikeouts, 4,710.1 innings pitched, and 4 saves. At the plate he had 141 hits and 5 home runs.
How much did Tommy John earn in his career?
Tommy John's recorded salaries total $1,825,000 over 4 seasons, 1985 to 1988. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and John's career ran from 1963 to 1989. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1989.
What was Tommy John's salary?
Tommy John's last recorded salary was $375,000, in 1988. His highest recorded salary was $600,000, in 1985, and his lowest was $350,000, in 1987. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1988.
What position did Tommy John play?
Tommy John played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Tommy John and how much did he weigh?
Tommy John was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 180 pounds.
What was Tommy John's career ERA?
Tommy John finished with a 3.34 career ERA, going 288-231 with 2,245 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Tommy John have?
Tommy John recorded 2,245 career strikeouts.
Is Tommy John in the Hall of Fame?
No. Tommy John has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.