Robert John Apodaca (/ˌɑːpoʊˈdɑːkə/; born January 31, 1950) is a former American Major League Baseball pitcher, and an assistant to Colorado Rockies General manager Jeff Bridich. Since 2013, he has worked with pitchers in the Rockies\' lower-level minor league affiliates.\n', '

Apodaca played third base in high school, but converted to a pitcher at Cerritos College. After transferring to California State University, Los Angeles (where he was the Golden Eagles\' MVP as a senior), he signed with the New York Mets as an amateur free agent in 1971. He spent three seasons in their farm system, going 24–11 with a 2.73 earned run average before making his major league debut as a September call-up in 1973. He faced two Pittsburgh Pirates batters, walking both. The first came around to score, giving Apodaca an infinite ERA in 1973.\n', '

Apodaca won a spot in the Mets\' bullpen in 1974, and earned his first career save in his first appearance of the season. His first career win came on May 13 as a starter against the St. Louis Cardinals and future Hall of famer Bob Gibson. Overall, he went 6–6 with three saves and a 3.50 ERA in his rookie season.\n', '

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