Born in Brooklyn, New York, Pacella moved to Long Island in 1965. After going 21-4 in three seasons at Connetquot High School in Bohemia, he was drafted by his hometown New York Mets in the fourth round of the 1974 Major League Baseball Draft. He was 32-35 with a 3.78 earned run average over four seasons in their farm system when he was called to the majors in 1977.\n', '

He made his major league debut out of the bullpen on his 21st birthday against the Philadelphia Phillies. After retiring the side in the seventh inning, Pacella walked the first batter he faced, Ted Sizemore, in the eighth. A botched pick off attempt allowed Sizemore to move to second. After he steals third, an error by Mets shortstop Doug Flynn put runners on the corners. Larry Bowa then drove Sizemore in with a single, while Ron Reed (who reached on Flynn\'s error) advanced to third. Pacella then uncorks a wild pitch allowing Reed to score. Though this could hardly be called a successful debut, he escaped without allowing an earned run. He made two more appearances by the end of the season; each time pitching one perfect inning.\n', '

After spending all of 1978 in the minors, he returned to the Mets in 1979 as a September call-up. After pitching well in his first two appearances, he failed to make it out of the first inning in his third. For the season, he went 0-2 with a 4.41 ERA in four games.\n', '

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