Benito James Distefano (born January 23, 1962) is an American former professional baseball player. Distefano attended high school at Lafayette HS in Brooklyn, NY followed by college at Alvin Community College in Alvin, TX.[1] Distefano was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2nd round of the 1981 MLB June Draft-Secondary Phase. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros in the 1980s and with Navegantes del Magallanes in the Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional. He is currently a minor league coach in the New York Mets organization. Distefano played his last game in the MLB on August 5, 1992 at the age of 30 years
| Benny Distefano | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First baseman / Right Fielder / Catcher | |
| Born: January 23, 1962 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 18, 1984, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 5, 1992, for the Houston Astros | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .228 |
| Home runs | 5 |
| Runs batted in | 28 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Information
editDistefano remains the most recent left-handed-throwing player to catch an MLB game, catching in three separate games for the Pirates in 1989.[2]
On April 28, 1992, David Cone of the New York Mets brought a no-hitter into the eighth inning. Distefano broke it up with an infield hit.[3]
In 2009, The New York Times highlighted Distefano as the "Left-Handed and Left Out" giving credit to Distefano as being the last left handed catcher to play in the MLB[4]
In 2010, Distefano was hired by the New York Mets to serve as the hitting coach for the Single A Brooklyn Cyclones.[5] After serving as the hitting coach for the Class A St. Lucie Mets of the Florida State League for a few years, Distefano returned to Brooklyn for the 2014 season.
Distefano was named as the bench coach for the Syracuse Mets of the New York Mets organization for the 2019 season. In 2020-21, Distefano was a roving instructor in the Mets' system.
Currently Distefano is in the Houston area hosting a boys baseball camp annually[6]
References
edit- ^ "Benny Distefano Minor & Japanese Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ Schwarz, Alan (August 15, 2009). "Left-Handed and Left Out". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 20, 2023 – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "Cone hurls 2-hit shutout".
- ^ Schwarz, Alan (August 15, 2009). "Left-Handed and Left Out". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ "Brooklyn Cyclones". MiLB.com.
- ^ "2021 Distefano Camp Registration Packet". Google Docs. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
External links
edit- Career statistics from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet, or Pelota Binaria (Venezuelan Winter League) ¿Recuerdan al magallanero Benny DiStefano? (video)
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