 Born in Brooklyn, New York, Pacella moved to Long Island in .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 .