Try finding a ballplayer like Fidrych these days

He was 54. Fidrych, who won 19 games as a rookie in ’76 but had his pitching career abridged by injuries, was found dead by his friend Joseph Amorello beneath his 10-wheel truck at about 2:30 p.m. Fidrych baseball legacy is as one of its more memorable and enjoyable shooting stars in the sport’s history. In 1976 less than two full years after the Tigers selected the lanky right-hander in the 10th round of the 1974 amateur draft out of Worcester Academy Fidrych made the Tigers’ Opening Day roster out of spring training as a non-roster invitee. With his out-of-nowhere success, congenial grin and disheveled curls -he was nicknamed ‘‘The Bird,’’ after the Sesame Street character to whom he bore a resemblance it wasn’t long before the 21-year old had an enormous following.

His starts soon became must-see events -- he appeared on the covers of ‘‘Sports Illustrated’’ and ‘‘Rolling Stone,’’ among others. His star-making moment came June 28 against the New York Yankees. In a nationally televised game on ABC’s ‘‘Monday Night Baseball’’ and in front of a crowd of 47,855 at Tiger Stadium, Fidrych pitched a complete-game seven-hitter, allowing just one run in the Tigers’ 5-1 victory.