Tommy John surgery: Who's had it?
In fact, the injury did end many careers until surgeons devised a technique to repair the tear using tendons taken from elsewhere in the patient's body.
The procedure is known as Tommy John surgery, after left-handed pitcher Tommy John - who in 1974 became the first professional athlete to successfully undergo it. Most recently, Boston Red Sox starting pitcher John Lackey is scheduled to have the surgery and will likely miss all of the 2012 baseball season.
Who else has gone under the knife? Keep clicking for the list compiled with the help of SportingNews.com...
A.J. Burnett
Chris Carpenter
Francisco Liriano
John Smoltz
John Johnson
Kerry Wood
Ryan Dempster
Tim Hudson
Jamie Moyer
After sitting out the entire 2011 season, Moyer still hopes to return to the mound in 2012 at 49 years old, CBS Sports reported.
Adam Wainwright
Daisuke Matsuzaka
John Lackey
John Lackey of the Boston Red Sox underwent Tommy John elbow surgery in 2012.