Jose Lima played for a short time for the Mets. And although he didn’t do that great on the field for us, he wasn’t afraid to compete in the pressure cooker that is New York baseball.
You need characters like Lima to keep a ball club loose for the long grind of a 6 month season. His career numbers may not be stellar, but winning 21 games in the majors is a pretty significant achievement-period.
RIP Jose Lima
We’ll miss you!
From The Baltimore Sun:
Jose Lima, the energetic All-Star right-hander who was a 21-game winner and dubbed his outings on and off the mound as "Lima Time," died Sunday, the Los Angeles Dodgers said. He was 37.
Lima, who won 13 games with the Dodgers in 2004, died of an apparent heart attack, according to the Aguilas Cibaenas, a winter ball team that Lima had played for in the Dominican Republic.
"Lima was an exceptional man. This is a great loss for Dominican baseball and the country," team president Winston Llenas said.
Lima posted his best season in 1999 when he was selected to the All-Star game as a Houston Astro. He went 21-10 in 35 starts with a 3.58 ERA for the NL Central champions.
"It saddened me greatly to hear of Jose's passing," Astros owner Drayton McLane said. "He was truly a gifted person both on the field and off of it. He could dance, he could sing, but his best gift of all was that he was an extremely happy person. He just lit up our clubhouse with his personality, which was his greatest asset. Jose was not shortchanged in life in any way. He lived life to the fullest every day."
Lima spent the majority of his career in Houston, with a 46-42 record from 1997-2001.
"He was an animated guy and a fierce competitor and he got people excited," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "It's just so sad when you lose one of your peers."
Lima revived his career several times, bouncing between the independent league and the minors, and in 13 major league seasons, the native of the Dominican Republic was 89-102 with a 5.26 ERA. He hadn't pitched in the major leagues since a four-game stint with the New York Mets in 2006.
"When you faced Jose Lima, you didn't know what to expect from him," said Mariano Duncan, Dodgers first base coach and former Yankees star. "He had a good fastball, a good changeup and good breaking ball. He was a good baseball player and a good friend. Nobody enjoyed the game more than him, and we're going to miss him."
Full story
Via Baltimore Sun
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