Robert Thomas Aspromonte (born June 19, 1938) is an American former professional baseball player and business entrepreneur. He played as a third baseman in Major League Baseball in and then from to , most prominently as a member of the newly formed Houston Colt .45s expansion team where, he became the regular third baseman for the first seven seasons of the young franchise (which would later change the name to Astros). As well as being the first-ever batter for Houston, he was also the last Brooklyn Dodger to appear in a major league game. He also played for the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets. After his athletic career, he went on to become a successful businessman in Houston, Texas. In 2019, Aspromonte was among the inaugural class of inductees to the Houston Astros Hall of Fame. In 2005 he was inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame and in 2011, he was elected to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame. He is the younger brother of former MLB player and manager Ken Aspromonte. Playing career Early career Aspromonte was born in Brooklyn, New York where he graduated from Lafayette High School and made his pro debut in the Class A Southern League. In September 1956, the pennant-bound Dodgers placed him on their roster, and on September 19, during a 17–2 triumph over the St. Louis Cardinals at Ebbets Field, Aspromonte made his MLB debut at age 18, striking out as a pinch hitter for Sandy Amoros in the eighth inning. It was Aspromonte's lone appearance in a Brooklyn uniform: he spent the next three seasons in minor league baseball before making the 1960 Los Angeles Dodgers roster out of spring training. On May 5, 1960, his four hits in five at bats, including his first major league home run (off Lew Burdette), led the Dodgers to a come-from-behind win over their rival, the Milwaukee Braves. However, he spent most of the season in Triple-A, where he batted .329 in the American Association. The following year, , was Aspromonte's first full season in the major leagues. He appeared in 47 games, starting two at third base and three at shortstop, and he hit .241 with two runs batted in in 62 plate appearances. Houston Astros (1962–1968) The Dodgers exposed him to the 1961 Major League Baseball expansion draft, and he was selected by the Houston Colt .45s