Distefano attended
Lafayette High School in
Brooklyn, New York, followed by college at
Alvin Community College in
Alvin, Texas. Distefano was drafted by the
Pittsburgh Pirates in the second round of the 1981 MLB June Draft-Secondary Phase. Distefano remains the most recent left-handed-throwing player to catch an MLB game, catching in three separate games for the Pirates in 1989. 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. In 2010, Distefano was hired by the New York Mets to serve as the hitting coach for the Single A
Brooklyn Cyclones. 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 the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Distefano was a roving instructor in the Mets' system. Distefano is in the Houston area hosting a boys baseball camp annually. ==References==