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Damnit. Man, he was pretty good for the short time in LA. Wish his family the best.
Jose Lima Dies From Apparent Heart Attack at 37
By Tom Fornelli
Former major league pitcher Jose Lima died early Sunday morning of an apparent heart attack in his home in Los Angeles. Lima was 37 years old.
News of Lima's death was first reported by ESPNDeportes.com.
Lima's wife, Dorca Astacio, said Lima began complaining during the night, and she originally thought he was having a nightmare. She soon called paramedics, but Lima was suffering a massive heart attack and passed away.
"He was a man full of life, without apparent physical problems and with many plans and projects on the agenda," Astacio told ESPNDeportes.com.
Lima spent 13 years in the majors, pitching for the Tigers, Royals, Astros, Mets and Dodgers, going 89-102 with a 5.26 ERA in his career. His best season came in 1999 when he went 21-10 with the Astros.
Still, the right-hander was best known for outlandish antics and garish celebrations on the mound -- gesticulations that prompted him to call each of his outings "Lima Time."
"He could dance, he could sing, but his best gift of all was that he was an extremely happy person," Astros owner Drayton McLane said.
Lima was an All-Star in '99 and finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting that season, but he never reached the same heights on the mound again, surrendering a league-leading 48 home runs the next year with Houston.
In 2005, pitching for Kansas City, Lima went 5-16 with a 6.99 ERA, posting the highest single-season ERA by a pitcher that started at least 30 games. He made four starts the next year with the Mets and then was out of the majors for good.
Lima went on to pitch in the Dominican Winter League in 2007, in Korea for the Kia Tigers in 2008 and in the independent minor leagues here in the U.S. Lima last pitched for the Edmonton Capitals of the Golden Baseball League in 2009.
"We are shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic loss of Jose Lima. Though he was taken from us way too soon, he truly lived his life to the fullest and his personality was simply unforgettable," Dodgers owner Frank McCourt said in a statement. "He had the ability to light up a room and that's exactly what he did every time I saw him. His memorable contributions to the Dodgers in 2004 and throughout baseball will always be remembered."
Though he spent only one season at Chavez Ravine, winning a playoff game in the Division Series against the Cardinals, Lima had recently rejoined the Dodgers as a member of the team's Alumni Association. Lima had plans to open a youth baseball academy in Los Angeles this season and was to make a number of appearances for the club as well.
He attended Friday night's Dodgers game against the Tigers, another of his former clubs, and received a warm ovation from the crowd.
Via Twitter:
Believe it . . .
RIP Lima Time, indeed.
Damnit. Man, he was pretty good for the short time in LA. Wish his family the best.
wow this sucks. I can remember the old days in the Dome before games he would walk around and throw out stuffed/toy baseballs to all of the kids.
RIP JOSE LIMA
RIP Dude had a big heart and a funny guy
Horrible news. Wonder if it was a defect that went unnoticed, or, given the era in which he played, possible roids related?
cant help but wonder that.
Lima Time!
Lima Time in the sky is going to rock. Going to miss ya man
eh....with that career ERA, I'll pass on taking him on my heaven league softball team
He's singing the Casa Ole jingle with a choir of angels now.
Jimothy Rome will mourn him.
R I P PAUL GREY
benjarvus would like slipknot
not sure there has been much of a link ever established between steroid use and heart issues.
not directly, but webmd says that taking high doses of steroids seems to increase the risk of heart disease by over twice as much
http://www.webmd.com/asthma/news/200...t-disease-risk
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