Detroit Tigers outfielder Don Kelly had just one hit in two at-bats during the American League Divisional Series before the Baltimore Orioles swept the Tigers out of the 2014 playoffs and ended the team's season Sunday night.

But 24 hours after the Tigers bowed out in front of the home crowd at Comerica Park, Kelly was playing hero off the field in the home of Chad Carr, the 4-year-old boy who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor late in September, and the grandson of former University of Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr.

Chad, his two brothers CJ and Tommy, 9 and 7 years old, and his parents Tammi and Jason, are neighbors of Kelly's good friend and former minor league baseball teammate Scott Tousa.

Kelly, through Tousa, caught wind of Chad's condition and decided he wanted to pay the young Tigers fan a visit in his Ann Arbor home late Monday afternoon.

"My wife and I have two boys, 3- and 5- (years-old), and I can't even imagine going through what they're going through right now. Unless you're in it, you can't even really begin to imagine how tough it is for them," Kelly said.

"We just wanted to come out and try to encourage them and let them know we're praying for them. It seems like they've got a great support system in the community, and being a Tiger, we're part of that. There's a wide network of people who are here to support them and we're part of that network, too, just hoping and praying for the best."

Kelly spent the afternoon playing with the Carr boys and Tousa's 3-year-old son Cooper - Chad's best friend.

They played ping pong, talked baseball, threw each other alley-oops on the basketball court in the backyard, wrestled around with the family's new dog, Tootie, and, for the better part of two hours, put Chad's condition behind them and returned to normalcy.

There wasn't talk of the daily trips to the hospitals and doctor's offices for the radiation treatment and blood draws that the family had grown accustomed to over the past week.

Jason Carr browses his cell phone as his son Chad, 4, sleeps nearby at C. S. Mott Children's Hospital. The Carr family has received an outpouring of support as social media efforts and the use of #ChadTough have spread news of Chad's diagnosis. Melanie Maxwell | The Ann Arbor News

There wasn't talk of the grim prognosis that typically accompanies the "your child has an inoperable brain tumor" announcement that doctors deliver.

It was just..."fun."

"I want him to have as many fun moments as he can. I think he's going to have fun moments for a really long time because we have faith, but I want him to have exciting things happen right now, and I want for our other sons to have some fun things, too," Tammi Carr said.

"They don't fully know what's going on right now, but for them, something like this is huge. It's family memories. We're trying to create as many memories as we can right now with the five of us even though we know we'll have the chance to create many more because we have faith."

Since the diagnosis nearly two weeks ago, the community has rallied to support the family, and the Carrs' community extends through the university's football tradition.

Chad was named an honorary captain of the Michigan football team, and got the chance to accompany the team onto the field before the team's Sept. 27 home game against Minnesota.

The Carr family runs off the field after the coin toss, which Chad Carr, 4, participated in as honorary captain at the University of Michigan vs. Minnesota home game on Saturday, September 27, 2014 in Ann Arbor. Katie McLean | The Ann Arbor News

The hash tag #ChadTough has made its way across social media sites, too, with organizations like the University of Cincinnati football team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Buffalo Sabres, and several celebrities and well-known sports figures calling for support for Chad and his family.

Orange wristbands bearing the words "Pray for a Miracle. #ChadTough" were also printed and distributed among friends, neighbors and the U-M football team. Thousands more were sold at the M Den stores online and around Ann Arbor.

Money raised from wristband sales and other donations have fed into a pediatric brain tumor research fund that was set up in Chad's honor. In total, the fund has grown to just under $90,000 in less than two weeks.

Kelly sported his wristband during the team's final playoff game this year.

"It's a travesty what they're going through right now. Chad's 4 years old and I'm sure he doesn't even know what they're going through really, which is probably for the best, but we're just glad we could come out and hang out with them," he said.

As for the Carrs, they will go back to their busy lives of appointments and tests and procedures for Chad come Tuesday morning.

The Today Show is expected to reach out to the family Tuesday for a to-be-scheduled segment, and Tammi Carr said that call and a hopeful follow-up would be a blessing.

"They want to do a story about the prayer chain and how the word has been spreading through Facebook and social media," Tammi Carr said.

"All we want is prayers for Chad. All we want is to get the word out. We need prayer warriors out and we need to do something. We know there's power in prayer and the more people who hear about Chad's story, the more people we'll have praying and fighting for us."

The family launched a GoFundMe campaign today after finding out that many of the experimental treatments proposed for Chad are not covered by insurance. They are hoping to raise $50,000, but Tammi Carr said it's their hope that they don't have to use those funds and can give them back to everyone who donates.