Andre Ethier hit a solo home run in the second inning on Tuesday. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

By Cary Osborne

During a time, Andre Ethier was Yasiel Puig.

He was emotional and full of talent and spark.

During a time, he was Cody Bellinger.

Young and powerful and full of potential. At a time, he was the guy whose name was on the back of most Dodger fans’ T-shirts.

And as he grew older, his name rose above other familiar Dodger greats like Piazza, Wills, Baker and Lopes on Los Angeles Dodger top 10 lists.

He is no longer the main attraction that he was in the past. The last two seasons a tibia fracture and lumbar disc herniation limited him to 64 plate appearances and robbed him of opportunity to add to his outstanding history.

But the injuries didn’t keep Ethier away from the Dodger clubhouse. He was around. But he was a quieter presence. As most players who are injured will say, they don’t want to be a distraction.

So Ethier chose instead to be an influence.

Cody Bellinger, who lockers next to Ethier at Dodger Stadium, said it was the veteran outfielder who took him under his wing most.

And Ethier chose to be a worker.

He returned to big league action the last two seasons in September — not letting his seasons die before putting up a fight for a spot on the Dodgers postseason roster.

And thus, despite the limited time on the field and the Dodgers’ abundance of options, he earned his spot on the team in the postseason.

Not because he was owed anything for his past service to the team, but because of what he could provide the Dodgers.

Dodger manager Dave Roberts has said coming off the bench is one of the toughest things a baseball player can do. But he liked Ethier’s ability to produce in a pinch.

That trust paid off in last year’s National League Championship Series.

In Game 1 of last year’s NLCS, with the Dodgers down 3–0, Ethier hit a pinch-hit solo home run in the fifth inning.

It paid off Tuesday when Ethier received a meatier opportunity.

In Tuesday’s Game 3 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Ethier got his first start of the postseason.

After starter Yu Darvish allowed a solo home run to Kyle Schwarber in the bottom of the first inning, Ethier killed the Cubs’ momentum with one swing of the bat. Against starter Kyle Hendricks, who had a 0.71 ERA in two starts against the Dodgers in the 2016 NLCS, Ethier lined a sinker off the scoreboard in right field for a solo home run — tying the score at 1–1. Ethier later singled in the sixth inning.

“Personally, it’s been a battle to get back,” Ethier said. “Last year was frustrating, but this one was more just because I felt I got myself back (from the tibia injury), and then another five-month break where you don’t know what’s going to happen. Getting my name called tonight, it’s a great thing. I think it was a long road to get back here, to get on this roster. For a team this successful and have so many options to be someone that can be singled out and be part of the nine it’s a big honor that (Dodgers manager Dave Roberts) would trust me, especially how well things are going.”

The Dodgers’ 6–1 win in Game 3 now brings them to within one win of their first World Series since 1988.

It could also bring another long wait to an end.

Ethier has been a Dodger for 12 seasons. He has appeared in 45 postseason games — the second most of any Los Angeles Dodger. He has never been on a World Series team. His contribution on Tuesday added more to his Dodger history and helped put him and the organization one step closer to ending the wait.

“Very, very happy for him, and the game honors you,” Roberts said. “And a guy like Andre who has done it the right way for such a long time and repeatedly said he just wanted to be a part of this and to prepare every single day like he’s going to play, and when that opportunity presented itself, he was ready. For him to come through and perform and pick us up the way he did is no surprise. It’s just a credit to his professionalism.”