Hats Off to John Pacella

I guarantee that 95% of you that saw this title have no idea who John Pacella is. I can forgive you for that. I’m not sure if even the most hardcore of New York Mets’ fans have heard of John Pacella. He was a pitcher that played in seasons ranging from 1977 to 1986 primarily for the Mets but he also had brief stints with the Yankees, Twins, Orioles and Tigers. He appeared in a grand total of 71 games with a career ERA of 5.74. Yet, he holds a special place in my heart for one, distinguishing characteristic:

His cap would fall off after he threw a pitch. I mean every, single pitch.

If you don’t believe me, the back of his 1981 Topps card, pictured above, reads as follows:

“John has unique habit of losing his cap each pitch”.

He appeared in 32 games in 1980 for the Mets. Though I was first six, then seven years old that season, I distinctly remember seeing this during Pacella’s outings. I remember thinking how and why does that happen? I would imitate many things done on the field by Major Leaguers. Losing my batting helmet while running? I couldn’t do it in actual Little League games because of those tight helmets. But it was possible in the backyard with those plastic ones I would win at the fair. Cap falling off while running down a ball? No problem. How cool was that, showing off to everyone how hard you were running and how much you cared? But losing your cap while throwing a pitch? No chance.

These days, many players express themselves after a big play. Usually, it is after a hit or a strikeout. John Pacella, even though it wasn’t a form of self expression, was a man ahead of his time. He was memorable even if the totality of his career was not.