Jamie Smith, of Medford, N.J., left, and the Rays’ Rocco Baldelli talk last night before Game Three of the World Series. Both suffer from the same muscle disorder.

AP / Yong Kim

PHILADELPHIA — Rocco Baldelli, along with some of his Tampa Bay Rays teammates, walked into the visitors’ clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park yesterday, wearing jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, looking like your average fan off the street.

A World Series game awaited.

An hour and a half later, Jamie Smith arrived at the same door. He was in a motorized scooter with his parents, Laurel and David, by his side. The Smith family all wore navy blue T-shirts that read: “Root for Rocco! Root for a Cure!”

Jamie, a 17-year-old Phillies fan, season-ticket holder and Medford, N.J., native, almost died seven years ago from the same disease that ravages Rocco. When the 27-year-old Rays outfielder and Cumberland native announced this season that he suffers from metabolic mitochondria, a disease that causes severe fatigue and muscle pain, Jamie and other people with the same disease took notice.

Before last night’s game, Jamie sat quietly and patiently in his blue scooter, trying to figure out exactly what he would say to his hero.

“It means a lot to me, because, before, the only one I had to basically inspire me was myself,” Jamie said. “It’s very important for me to meet Rocco because . . . ”

With that, Rocco emerged from the visitors’ clubhouse. The two looked at each other.

“I’m speechless,” Jamie said.

Rocco and Jamie shook hands and then the ballplayer introduced himself to Jamie’s parents. Everyone was overwhelmed.

Jamie and Rocco quickly began to talk about the disease and a few moments later Rocco grabbed a silver Sharpie from his waistband and signed a black Louisville Slugger with his No. 5 on the knob that read: “To Jamie. Best Wishes. You are a true hero.”

Jamie reciprocated with bags of T-shirts and hats and green wrist bands that read: “Energy for Life.” Rocco

promised that his teammates would wear them.

After a few more minutes, Rocco — with tears in his eyes — said, “Let’s escape.”

While the two roamed the lower arena at the ballpark, Jamie’s mother stood holding the bat, her eyes so filled with tears she couldn’t read the inscription.

“There are days when Jamie can’t get out of bed,” Laurel said. “So to see Rocco and see him play ball ... .”

She quickly gained her composure. She explained that her son almost died in 2002 because of the disease. He has a compromised immune system and spent six weeks on a ventilator. Doctors told the Smiths their son would never walk or talk again.

Not only did Jamie respond to the challenge, he’s living his life — like Rocco — with a purpose.

Jamie is an ambassador for United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation and spent three years working on legislation enacting New Jersey Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week. The law passed a year ago and now he’s focusing his efforts on the national level.

To those with the disease, the common phrase is “mito” when describing it. In fact the UMDF set up a message board on its Web site for fellow patients to honor and wish Rocco well in the World Series.

The Web site has hundreds of messages from people of all ages with “mito” calling Rocco a hero, an inspiration, a person with faith, hope and guts. He has shown those outside the baseball world that if you believe in something, you can achieve your goal.

Jamie’s message read: “I could so, so relate. Sometimes my muscles hurt so bad I can’t even open my eyes. I am fortunate to have great friends who understand, but [I] get lots of stares from people when I go places and when I’m having a bad day.”

It was only a few months ago, when Rocco didn’t know what was affecting his body. When he found out, he wanted to keep it a private matter. Now Rocco wants the entire world to know about “mito” and the efforts of people like Jamie.

“Until you actually come out and meet the people who are dealing with this — people like Jamie — you start to have more feelings about it than you did before you met them,” Rocco said. “You realize that it does affect a lot of people very deeply. It’s a very serious problem that a lot of people are dealing with. Most people don’t know the first thing about it, so what Jamie is doing by spreading awareness is commendable.”

Jamie and Rocco have walked similar paths.

Rocco had known nothing but success from the time he was young through high school at Bishop Hendricken, where he was an all-state athlete. Right up to the point when the Rays selected him as their first-round pick (sixth overall) in the 2000 draft.

He realized something was wrong last year, so he met with team trainers and doctors in an attempt to pinpoint exactly what was happening with his legs and how he could fix the severe fatigue problem.

It took two years for Jamie and his parents to get a final diagnosis, which came months before his 10th birthday in 1999. It took almost as long for Rocco to understand what he was facing. Jamie takes 24 medications per day. Rocco ingests 10.

“I’ve never heard so many people say ‘mitochondrial disease,’ ” explained Jamie’s mom, Laurel, referring to Rocco’s story being played out to a global audience via Major League Baseball’s postseason.

When Jamie and Rocco returned, a family picture was taken and e-mail addresses were exchanged.

Rocco began to walk back into the clubhouse to prepare for Game Three of the World Series, when he looked back and waved to Jamie one more time.

“He looks up to me and I think to myself, ‘All I’m doing is playing baseball.’ To me it’s important, but in the grand scheme of things it’s not the most important thing going on in the world. The health of young people like Jamie who are dealing with problems, and raising awareness like he’s doing, is a lot more important than what I’m doing.”

Laurel Smith looked at her son and Rocco and said: “This is probably good for both of them.”

jmcdonal@projo.com