John Pacella
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1977-1986)
John Pacella was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1977 to 1986 for 5 teams, including the New York Mets, a span of 10 seasons. Across 74 career appearances, he went 4-10 with a 5.73 ERA and 116 strikeouts.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'3" / 195 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1977-09-15
- Last Game
- 1986-07-12
Full name: John Lewis Pacella
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | NYN | NL | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1979 | NYN | NL | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16.1 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 4.41 | 4.00 (-10%) | 821.3 |
| 1980 | NYN | NL | 3 | 4 | 32 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 84.0 | 89 | 48 | 59 | 68 | 5.14 | 3.84 (-34%) | -512.2 |
| 1982 | NYA | AL | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 7.20 | 3.86 (-86%) | -363.4 |
| 1982 | MIN | AL | 1 | 2 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 51.2 | 61 | 42 | 37 | 20 | 7.32 | 3.86 (-89%) | -4844.3 |
| 1984 | BAL | AL | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14.2 | 15 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 6.75 | 3.81 (-77%) | -542.6 |
| 1986 | DET | AL | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11.0 | 10 | 5 | 13 | 5 | 4.09 | 3.97 (-3%) | -394.6 |
| Career · 7 seasons | 4 | 10 | 74 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 191.2 | 206 | 122 | 133 | 116 | 5.73 | — | -5,836 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 74 | 24 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | .083 | .083 | .125 | .208 | 0 |
Career AVG .083 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — 68.2% below league average.
Career OBP .083 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — 74.5% below league average.
Career SLG .125 vs. league average .392 across their career seasons — 68.2% below league average.
Career OPS .208 vs. league average .719 across their career seasons — 71.0% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | NYN | NL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1979 | NYN | NL | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1980 | NYN | NL | 32 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | .100 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1982 | NYA | AL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1982 | MIN | AL | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1984 | BAL | AL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1986 | DET | AL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 7 seasons | 74 | 24 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | .083 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (148 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 31 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .100 |
| Away | 43 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .071 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 31 | 89.2 | 91 | 46 | 59 | 59 | 4.62 |
| Away | 43 | 102.0 | 115 | 76 | 74 | 57 | 6.71 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-07-12 | DET | KCR | — | 2.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1986-07-07 | DET | MIN | — | 1.0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986-07-03 | DET | NYY | — | 5.2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| 1986-06-22 | DET | MIL | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986-06-16 | DET | BAL | SV | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984-09-30 | BAL | BOS | — | 5.0 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984-09-24 | BAL | NYY | — | 1.1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1984-09-17 | BAL | NYY | L | 3.0 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984-09-15 | BAL | MIL | — | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1984-09-07 | BAL | MIL | — | 3.0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 74 |
John Pacella: the record in brief
John Pacella played a first major league game on September 15, 1977 and a last one on July 12, 1986. The team column moves through the New York Mets (1977 through 1980), the New York Yankees (1982), the Minnesota Twins (1982), the Baltimore Orioles (1984), and the Detroit Tigers (1986). At 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, Pacella is listed as a pitcher. Pacella batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is September 15, 1956, in Brooklyn, NY, USA. John Pacella was the playing name; the full given name is John Lewis.
The pitching table credits Pacella with a 4-10 record and a 5.73 ERA in 74 games. Pacella had 116 strikeouts. The league ERA over Pacella's seasons was 3.91, so the 5.73 figure ran 46.3% worse than average. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 5.14 in 1980, when the league's was 3.84.
The position breakdown shows 74 games, all at pitcher. Fielding on the mound produced 14 putouts and 17 assists against 3 errors.
Frequently Asked Questions about John Pacella
- What years did John Pacella play?
- John Pacella played in Major League Baseball from 1977 to 1986.
- Was John Pacella a pitcher?
- Yes. John Pacella pitched in the major leagues, recording 4 wins and 116 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did John Pacella hit?
- John Pacella hit 0 career home runs with 2 hits.
- What teams did John Pacella play for?
- John Pacella played for 5 teams: the New York Mets (1977, 1979–1980), the New York Yankees (1982), the Minnesota Twins (1982), the Baltimore Orioles (1984), and the Detroit Tigers (1986).
- What were John Pacella's career stats?
- In 74 games, John Pacella went 4-10 with a 5.73 ERA, 116 strikeouts, 191.2 innings pitched, and 3 saves.
- What position did John Pacella play?
- John Pacella played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was John Pacella and how much did he weigh?
- John Pacella was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 195 pounds.
- What was John Pacella's career ERA?
- John Pacella finished with a 5.73 career ERA, going 4-10 with 116 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did John Pacella have?
- John Pacella recorded 116 career strikeouts.
- Is John Pacella in the Hall of Fame?
- No. John Pacella has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.