Bobby Lamar Etheridge is a former professional baseball

Professional baseball

Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....

 third baseman

Third baseman

A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...

. He played parts of two seasons in Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 for the San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....

.

Etheridge played baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 at Mississippi State University

Mississippi State University

The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...

 for two seasons before signing with the San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....

 as an amateur free agent in . After three seasons in the Giants' farm system, he made his major league debut on July 16, in the first game of a doubleheader

Doubleheader (baseball)

A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...

 against the Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...

 at Candlestick Park as a late inning defensive replacement. The next day, he made his first major league start; with the Giants down 4-1 in the ninth inning, Etheridge hit a two out triple

Triple (baseball)

In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....

 to drive in Bob Schroder and Jim Davenport

Jim Davenport

James Houston Davenport is a former Major League Baseball infielder who played his entire career with the San Francisco Giants . The right-handed batter and thrower attended The University of Southern Mississippi.He played in one World Series in 1962, as the Giants lost to the New York Yankees...

. With Etheridge representing the tying run at third base

Third Base

is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Yōichi Higashi.-External links:...

, the following batter, Willie McCovey

Willie McCovey

Willie Lee McCovey , nicknamed "Mac", "Big Mac", and "Stretch", is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. He played nineteen seasons for the San Francisco Giants, and three more for the San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics, between and...

, grounded out to end the game.

For the season, Etheridge batted .226 with one home run

Home run

In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

 and fifteen runs batted in for the second place Giants. Though he struggled for playing time behind slugger Jim Ray Hart

Jim Ray Hart

James Ray Hart , is a retired third baseman in Major League Baseball. He played for the National League's San Francisco Giants from 1963 to 1973 and the American League's New York Yankees in 1973 and 1974. Hart batted and threw right-handed...

 at third base, Etheridge was named a rookie All-Star

Topps All-Star Rookie Teams

The Topps All-Star Rookie Team, also known as the Topps ASR, is a set of baseball cards issued by Topps Company, Inc., every year to commemorate notable Major League Baseball rookie players.-History:...

 by Topps

Topps

The Topps Company, Inc., manufactures chewing gum, candy and collectibles. Based in New York, New York, Topps is best known as a leading producer of baseball cards, football cards, basketball cards, hockey cards and other sports and non-sports themed trading cards.-Company history:Topps itself was...

.

Etheridge spent all of with the Pacific Coast League

Pacific Coast League

The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...

 Phoenix Giants, but was back with San Francisco for opening day of the season. At the end of the season, he was traded to the San Diego Padres

San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...

 with Bob Barton

Bob Barton

Robert Wilbur Barton , is a retired, American professional baseball player who played catcher in the Major Leagues from 1965-1974. He played for the San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, and Cincinnati Reds....

 and Ron Herbel

Ron Herbel

Ronald Samuel Herbel was a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher. His .029 career batting average is the lowest batting average in Major League history for a player with a minimum of 100 at-bats.-MLB debut:...

 for Frank Reberger

Frank Reberger

Frank Beall Reberger is an American former professional baseball pitcher and coach in Major League Baseball.-Playing career:...

. After half a season with the Salt Lake City Bees, Etheridge was dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

, and spent the rest of the season and all of the season with the Tulsa Oilers

Tulsa Oilers (baseball)

The Tulsa Oilers, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, were a minor league baseball team that existed on-and-off in multiple leagues from 1905 to 1976. For most of their history, they played at Oiler Park, which opened on July 11, 1934, and was located on the Tulsa County Fairgrounds at 15th Street and...

. While 1971 was his best season statistically since , he never reached the majors with the Cardinals. He spent and in the New York Mets

New York Mets

The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...

' farm system before retiring.