Benny Distefano
Benito James Distefano (born January 23, 1962) is an American former professional baseball player. 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.
| 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 |
| Teams | |
Information
Distefano remains the most recent left-handed-throwing player to catch an MLB game, catching in three separate games for the Pirates in 1989.[1]
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.[2]
In 2010, Distefano was hired by the New York Mets to serve as the hitting coach for the Single A Brooklyn Cyclones.[3] 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.
References
- 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".
- "Brooklyn Cyclones". MiLB.com.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet, or Pelota Binaria (Venezuelan Winter League) ¿Recuerdan al magallanero Benny DiStefano? (video)