BOSTON - Whether he was dominating hitters or hauling asphalt, Mark Fidrych had fun.

The colorful pitcher talked to baseballs, smoothed the mound with his hands and high-fived teammates in the middle of the diamond. He had one terrific season in 1976, and after injuries curtailed his career — just five years in the majors with the Detroit Tigers — he lived on his farm in Northborough, Mass., where he enjoyed driving his truck and using it for building projects.

On Monday, Fidrych was found dead beneath a 10-wheel dump truck by Joseph Amorello, a friend and owner of a road construction company who sometimes hired Fidrych. He was 54.

“Everybody wanted him on their crew,” Amorello said in a telephone interview. “He was a hard worker, but, at the same time, he always had a smile on his face.”

Worcester County district attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. said Fidrych was found at about 2:30 p.m. Monday in his home town about 35 miles west of Boston, the victim of an apparent accident. He appeared to have been working on the truck, Early said. His office declined to release further details.

Amorello, owner of A.F. Amorello & Sons, said he had stopped by the farm to chat with Fidrych.

“We were just, in general, getting started for the (road building) season this week and it seems as though his truck was going to be needed. It looked like he was doing some maintenance on it,” Amorello said. “I found him under the truck. There’s not much more I can say. I dialed 911 and that’s all I could do.”

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Fidrych was a curly-haired right-hander who was nicknamed “The Bird” because of his resemblance to the Big Bird character on the Sesame Street television show.

He was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1976 when he went 19-9 with a 2.34 ERA and 24 complete games in 29 starts.

Stats only told part of the story that season. The Tigers weren’t very good then, and were barely drawing 10,000 fans per game when Fidrych made his first start on May 15.

His antics and success quickly made him a local sensation, and huge crowds started showing up at Tiger Stadium to see him. A complete-game win on ABC-TV’s “Monday Night Baseball” against the Yankees in late June made him a nationwide phenomenon, with teammates rushing to greet him after the last out and fans calling him back from the clubhouse for a final salute.

Less than three weeks later, he started the All-Star game for the AL in Philadelphia. Though the likes of Pete Rose, Catfish Hunter and Johnny Bench had accumulated far greater career statistics, no player created more interest that night at Veterans Stadium than Fidrych.

Injuries, however, limited him to 58 major league games with a 29-19 record and a 3.10 ERA.

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“The entire Detroit Tigers organization was saddened to learn of the passing of former player Mark Fidrych today,” the Tigers said in a statement. “Mark was beloved by Tigers fans and he was a special person with a unique personality. The Tigers send our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.”

Fidrych attempted a comeback in 1982 and 1983 in the Boston Red Sox organization. He pitched for their Triple-A team in Pawtucket, R.I. But he never played in the majors after 1980 and retired in July 1983.

The Worcester, Mass., native later owned a trucking business. State police detectives are investigating the circumstances of his death, Early said.

“People that didn’t know him might say he was weird,” Amorello said, “but people who knew him didn’t. He was just a big-hearted person. He never even slightly suggested any regrets of his injuries. He was just happy to have the time he had in sports. He considered himself a lucky man.

“He bought his farm. He married the woman he was in love with and had a beautiful daughter.”

Fidrych married his wife, Ann, in 1986 and they had a daughter, Jessica.

He tore knee cartilage during spring training in 1977 and was placed on the disabled list until May 24. He sustained a shoulder injury in July 1977. Fidrych pitched 250 1-3 innings in 1976 but only 162 after that when he was just 10-10.

“Baseball will miss him. They missed him because he didn’t have as long a career as everybody would have liked in the first place. It’s just horrible,” said former Orioles pitcher and Hall of Famer Jim Palmer, who beat out Fidrych for the 1976 Cy Young Award. “He did embrace life. I remember him trying to play golf when he couldn’t play golf and enjoying every minute of it.”