OAKLAND, Calif. –– It’s been a tragic week for the baseball community.

Less than a week after Angels pitching prospect Nick Adenhart was killed in a hit-and-run car accident, two more prominent baseball figures passed away on Monday.

Players and staff in the Red Sox clubhouse at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum were saddened to hear the news that longtime Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas and former big-league pitcher Mark Fidrych died on Monday.

Fidrych, who was nicknamed “The Bird,” spent five season pitching for the Tigers, but his career was cut short by injuries. He attempted a comeback with the Red Sox and pitched in the organization in 1982 and 1983 with the PawSox.

“He electrified the game,” said former Red Sox second baseman and NESN broadcaster Jerry Remy. “He came in and did things as a pitcher at a time when players were very stoic and didn’t show a lot of emotion. The first time you saw him he was talking to the baseball. He would talk to himself and he would do all kinds of crazy [stuff]. You would look at him and say, ‘What the hell is this guy all about?’ Then when you got to the plate, you found out he was pretty good.”

Remy vividly remembered facing Fidrych when the infielder was a member of the Angels.

“He stuck it up our [butt] in Detroit,” Remy said. “We were all sitting there at the end of the game, watching the way he was interacting with the fans. He was a different breed at a different time. Maybe he wouldn’t be as unusual today as he was in those days, but in those days he certainly was. It’s too bad he hurt himself, because he had great stuff. He had a great sinker and a great slider. He just wasn’t a guy out there with a freak show; he could legitimately pitch.”

Red Sox manager Terry Francona managed the Phillies from 1997 to 2000 and knew Kalas very well.

“What a sweetheart,” said Francona. “His voice was unmatched. I used to tease him all the time. I would say, ‘Harry, I feel like I hear you more during the winter than I do in the summer.’ You would turn on a commercial, or a football game, or the radio, everybody wanted him. He was a gentleman. Philadelphia can be a tough town, but I’m sure they will really pour out the emotion for Harry. He’s been there a long time.”

Francona recalled when Kalas emceed the Phillies’ first fantasy football draft.

“It was unbelievable,” said the manager. “We didn’t do a lot of good things there, but we did that pretty good.”

After the Phillies won the World Series last October, Francona left a message of congratulations for Kalas.

A move for Baldelli

Francona said over the weekend that he wanted to use Rocco Baldelli in the leadoff spot in the order, and have him play center field. That happened Monday night as the left-handed hitting Jacoby Ellsbury was given the night off. The Sox will face three left-handers in this three-game set, Baldelli hits southpaws very well, so the move makes sense.

The plan is to have him play in two of the three games, including Monday and again during the day game on Wednesday.

Baldelli entered Monday's game with a .333 average and has hit safely in his first two starts with Boston.

Familial support

The Carter family is hoping to see its favorite son play baseball.

Chris Carter, the Red Sox' utilityman, is a native of Concord, Calif., which is only a hit-and-run away from Oakland Coliseum. He grew up an A's fan and when the Red Sox take the field here Tuesday night, there will be a total of 50 people, mostly family members in the stands, hoping Carter gets to play.

Kelly debuts

Casey Kelly, Boston's first pick (30th overall) in the 2008 draft made his professional pitching debut for Single-A Greenville on Sunday and helped the Drive to a 9-0 victory over Greensboro. The right-hander allowed four hits with one walk and four strikeouts in five innings of work.

jmcdonal@projo.com