Touring the Bases With Tommy John

Tommy John was a major league pitcher from 1963 to 1989. He won 288 games and, most famously, underwent a risky elbow surgery that ended up bearing his name.

Now, he’s one of several players who supports a children’s book called A Glove of their Own . The book has a great message for kids, and part of the proceeds from each purchase go to one of several charities. You can read a Seamheads review here , or go to the official website to purchase a copy.

Mr. John was kind enough to make time for an interview about the book and his career in baseball.

Justin Murphy: What made you want to get involved with A Glove of Their Own?  
Tommy John: I think that maybe it was where I came from, Indiana—I’ve been pretty fortunate in my life to do things I wanted to do. There are kids who never get to play baseball or basketball or anything. Then I saw that movie Pay It Forward and the people coming forward with the candles and the lights and everything. Plus the book is neat. I keep it in my car and look at it every time I go out and get gas or something.

When I was with the White Sox way back in 1965 we used to send the equipment back to the Indian reservations and let them play there. When you can give things to people who need them, it’s huge.

JM: What charity did you pick for the book?TJ: I am big into ALS because Catfish Hunter had it and passed away. I’m very devoted to ALS and I’m doing what I can for it. That’s Lou Gehrig Disease, the Iron Horse.

JM: What were your baseball games like when you were a kid?TJ: Well, we had didn’t have any boys on our block, so I had to play house and dolls and hopscotch with the girls in the morning so they’d play softball with me in the afternoon. If we got some guys there, we’d play over the line—draw a line between third and second and hit it and get whatever you could get.

There were no rules, no uniforms, no hats, you just went out and played all day like that.

JM: You were only 20 when you reached the majors in 1963. How do you think that impacted your career?TJ: I wish I could have gotten in at 18, maybe I would have gotten 12 more wins and would have gotten to 300. I was probably rushed too fast, but heck, I wanted to get there as quickly as I could and I kind of learned on the fly. I took my lumps and I took some losses.

Over my first year plus, I was 2-11. If that was now, I probably would have been sent home and been a used care salesman in Terre Haute, Indiana.

JM: How did your pitching philosophy change over your career?TJ: As I got older I found you didn’t have to throw every ball as hard as you could. Batters would get themselves out if you let them hit the ball. When I started out I tried to be a strikeout pitcher, but I found I pitched better if I let the guys put it in play. A good game would be 27 pitches and 27 outs. Of course, that didn’t happen, but I tried to get them to put it in play.

JM: Did you have to change your delivery at all after your surgery?TJ: Not at all. I talked with the pitching coach specifically about that. I’d heard horror stories about guys getting hurt and having to change their deliveries, so I was sure to keep my delivery the exact same as it had been before the surgery.

JM: One hitter you had a lot of success against was Reggie Jackson— he was 11-62 off you with no home runs and 15 strikeouts . What was your approach to him?
TJ: I tried to not let him get his arms extended. He’s so strong. Goliver, he was strong. I probably struck him out more when he first came up and I was with the White Sox. He had a hard time with curveballs when he first came up, but he got a lot better over time.

JM: Was there a guy who gave you trouble that people wouldn’t expect?
TJ: Statistically, it was Ned Yost , and I have no idea why. I can’t recall him getting any hits, but obviously he did.

JM: After 23 years in the majors, you went back and managed in the low minors. Was that a hard transition?TJ: I enjoyed it. If you have a good bus and a good driver, you get some good DVDs and read a book and sleep, it’s not bad. It’s not flying first class, but it’s not bad at all.

JM: What’s your best memory in baseball?
TJ: Probably the game that I pitched against the Phillies in 1977 . I beat Steve Carlton in a pouring down rainstorm to win the National League championship and go to the World Series. It was probably the best game I ever pitched in my life.

It just poured. It rained and it rained and it rained. Astroturf was not good for a sinkerball pitcher, but that night I was on and they kept hitting groundballs to the shortstop, second base, third baseman. It was the best game I ever pitched.

Thank you very much to Mr. John. Visit www.agloveoftheirown.com for more details about the book.