Capra was a shortstop at Lane Technical College Prep High School in the Roscoe Village neighborhood on the Northside of Chicago. Besides playing shortstop, he began pitching at Illinois State University (ISU), and compiled a 17-5 record & 1.58 ERA. Capra was a team Co-captain his senior year, and led the Redbirds to the 1969 NCAA Division II Baseball Championship.\n', '

Capra was selected late in the 1969 Major League Baseball draft, by the New York Mets. Though primarily a pitcher, he did play some short and second base, with the Pompano Beach Mets, in 1969. He went 33-10 with a 2.49 ERA & 367 strikeouts, over three seasons in the Mets\' farm system, to earn a September call-up, in 1971.\n', '

In 1971, Capra made three appearances out of the bullpen, and did not allow an earned run in his first two big league appearances. He was not, however, so lucky in his third appearance: Facing the St. Louis Cardinals at Shea Stadium, Capra entered the game in the tenth inning, and only retired one of the seven batters he faced (Jorge Roque, who bunted Joe Torre to second after Torre had led off the inning with a single), on his way to allowing five runs and taking his first major league loss.\n', '

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