Jobe brings the heat in winning first start back from Tommy John surgery

SAN FRANCISCO -- Every pitcher who comes back from Tommy John surgery owes a debt to the late Dr. Frank Jobe, who theorized he could rebuild a torn elbow ligament using a tendon harvested from another part of the body and then saved John’s career with a successful operation in 1974.

On Saturday, a young Tigers right-hander earned the win in his first start back from elbow reconstruction surgery, dominating the Giants over five innings in an 8-0 victory.

His name: Jackson Jobe.

While the Jobes were not related by blood, their bond is no less strong. Jackson Jobe joined a roster of thousands who now routinely rehab from the operation that his namesake pioneered.

On a cool and windy afternoon at Oracle Park, Jobe held the Giants to a Willy Adames single and Drew Cavanaugh walk. He reached 71 pitches, close to his preordained workload, before manager A.J. Hinch pulled him in a scoreless game. Tyler Holton and Ty Madden finished the combined two-hitter.

Detroit improved to 6-2 on a West Coast trip that concludes Sunday. Their past four wins have been shutouts.

The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the sixth by taking four walks. The last, to Spencer Torkelson, produced the run that qualified Jobe for the win. An inning later, Detroit unleashed a fusillade of extra-base hits, batted around and scored six times.

Zach McKinstry, Dillon Dingler and Eduardo Valencia doubled, and Max Clark added a triple before Javier Báez’s infield hit produced the inning’s sixth run.

Jobe climbed a Major League mound for the first time since May 28, 2025 with his arm blazing. His first pitch back was a 97.3 mph fastball to the Giants’ Bryce Eldridge. Six pitches later, Jobe fired a 100.1 mph fastball past Eldridge for strike three.

Jobe’s fastball mostly sat between 97-99 mph, but he checked off his other pitch boxes as well. In the second inning Jobe went fastball, slider, changeup to strike out Rafael Devers on three pitches, then caught Christian Koss looking an inning later on a curveball.

Jobe’s start against the Giants might not have happened had the Tigers not traded Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize at the Deadline. The organization was weighing whether to give Jobe another Minor League rehab start or bring him up, Hinch said. The trades suddenly gave the Tigers a need, making the decision easier.

Another coincidence, a rather sad one, marked Jobe’s comeback from Tommy John surgery.

In New York, as the Yankees celebrated an Old Timers Game on Saturday, the club released a statement from John in which the 83-year-old poignantly and subtly told the baseball world that he has little time left. He is in hospice after enduring bladder cancer.

In his statement, John thanked the Yankees, for whom he pitched after the surgery. He acknowledged the fans and made a point of thanking Frank Jobe for the surgery that extended his career by 14 seasons, 405 games and 164 wins.