MLB Legend Tommy John Believes He’s Not in the Hall of Fame Because He Voted for Trump — Yet He Hasn’t Been on the Ballot Since 2009

MLB legend Tommy John believes his chances at making the Baseball Hall of Fame were significantly reduced when he voted for Donald Trump. He hasn’t been eligible since 2009.

While John managed to put together an impressive career as a starting pitcher, he’s best known for being

named after the revolutionary elbow surgery that repairs the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). At the time of his operation, he was the first baseball player to receive what would later be known as Tommy John surgery.

On Wednesday, John appeared on The Michael Kay Show to talk about his legacy and his case for the Hall of Fame:

KAY: So there’ve been over 2,400 Tommy John surgeries performed on the elbows of professional baseball players, which is amazing; and I’ve always said you’re the first one to have this, you know, this groundbreaking surgery. You also won 288 games and I — maybe this is not a question for you, but for the people that vote on such things — why are you not in the Hall of Fame? I mean, you’re such a big part of baseball history.

JOHN: Maybe because I voted for Donald Trump.

KAY: You think that’s it?

JOHN: Probably. I don’t know. I have no idea. You know, if I knew and I could do something, I would do it; but I can’t.

The problem with that statement is that John’s Hall of Fame eligibility came and went years before Trump ran for president. After retiring in 1989, he appeared on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot in 1995. He failed to earn the 75% of votes required to be inducted, and was removed from the ballot in 2009 — his 15th and final year of eligibility. He can still enter the Hall of Fame via the Modern Era Subcommittee of the Veterans Committee, but that hasn’t happened yet.

Watch above via YES Network

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