José Desiderio Rodriguez Lima (September 30, 1972 – May 23, 2010) was a Dominican

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

who spent 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

(1994–1996, 2001–2002),

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after s ...

(1997–2001),

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

(2003, 2005),

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League West, West division. Established in 1883 i ...

(2004) and

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major lea ...

(2006). His best year in the majors was

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, when he won 21 games for the Astros and pitched in his only

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or d ...

. His remarkably animated displays of emotion on the mound made him a fan favorite, but also drew the ire of opposing teams. He was known for his flamboyant celebrations after his victories in the face of opponents.Stephens, Baile
"Former big leaguer Lima dead at 37."
''www.mlb.com, May 23, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2016. Due to his indulging in musical pursuits beyond

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

, he was once described by ''

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Ben Shpigel Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben (in he, בֶּן, ''son of'') forms part of Hebrew surnames, e.g. Abraham ben Abraham ( he, ...

as "the

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-crooning, towel-waving merengue singer who moonlights as a right-handed pitcher"."Lima dies from heart attack at 37," ''The Associated Press'', Sunday, May 23, 2010.
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MLB career

Lima made his Major League debut with the

on April 20, 1994, at age 21 making a start against the

. After three years in Detroit, he was traded to the

on December 10, 1996, in an eight-player trade. In he compiled a record of 21–10 and was named to the National League All Star Team that season. However, in 2000, Lima struggled to recapture his success, losing 16 games and recording a league-worst 6.65 earned run average and 48

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s, the latter of which was only two short of the single season record held by

Bert Blyleven Bert Blyleven (born Rik Aalbert Blijleven, April 6, 1951) is a Dutch-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1970 to 1992, primarily with the Minnesota Twins. Blyleven recorded 3,701 ...

. On June 23, 2001, Lima was traded back to Detroit in exchange for Dave Mlicki. He was released by Detroit during the season, proclaiming at the time, "If I can't pitch on this team—the worst or second-worst team in baseball—where am I going to pitch? If I can't start on this ballclub, I must be the worst pitcher on Earth." He pitched for the

Newark Bears The Newark Bears were an American minor league professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and, later, the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball. T ...

in the Independent Atlantic League early in 2003, but returned to MLB in June 2003, when he was acquired by the

. Lima started off fast in Kansas City, he was 7–0 with a 2.17 ERA after eight starts. But a groin injury during his ninth start caused his performance to decline significantly and he went 1–3 with a 10.65 ERA in his last six starts. He joined the

in . With the Dodgers, Lima was 13–5 with a 4.07 ERA, his best performance since the 1999 season. Possibly the best moment of his career came on October 9, 2004, in Game Three of the 2004 National League Division Series, when he pitched a 5-hit shutout against the St. Louis Cardinals. It was the Dodgers' first post-season victory since Game Five of the 1988 World Series. In , he returned to Kansas City as a free agent but managed only to compile a record of 5–16, while posting a 6.99 ERA and was not re-signed by the club. On February 14, 2006, Lima was inked to a minor league deal by the Mets and pitched for the Mets' AAA affiliate, the

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

. He was called up to the Mets on May 7, 2006, and went 0–3 with an 8.79 ERA in three starts before being

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

on May 20, 2006. On July 4, 2006, he was again called up again to the Mets, when Heath Bell was optioned back to the

. Lima had another poor outing on July 7, 2006, against the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fran ...

which included surrendering up a grand slam to opposing pitcher

Dontrelle Willis Dontrelle Wayne Willis (born January 12, 1982), nicknamed "The D-Train", is an American former left-handed professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinn ...

and was removed from the game. After the game Lima was

back to the

for the second time during the 2006 season. Lima finished the 2006 season with a 0–4 record with a 9.87 ERA in four total starts for the Mets. In the

Dominican Winter Baseball League Dominican may refer to: * Someone or something from or related to the Dominican Republic ( , stress on the "mi"), on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles, in the Caribbean ** People of the Dominican Republic ** Demographics of the Domi ...

, he played for the

Águilas Cibaeñas The Águilas Cibaeñas (English lit. ''Cibaoan Eagles'') is a professional baseball team in the Dominican Republic's winter baseball league. Founded on January 28, and based in Santiago, the team has won 6 Caribbean Series and 22 national titl ...

. In , Lima also played for Saraperos de Saltillo in the Mexican League.

Korea Professional Baseball

For the 2008 season, Lima signed with the

Kia Tigers Kia Tigers ( ko, KIA 타이거즈) are a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 1982 and based in the southwestern city of Gwangju. Until 2001, they were known as the Haitai Tigers. The Tigers are a members of the KBO League and are ...

, a nine-time champion in the

Korea Professional Baseball The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are ...

. Despite high expectations as a former Major League Baseball pitcher, Lima struggled in several starts. After that, he was sent down to the Korea Baseball Futures League, and media reported that Lima would be released from the Tigers. However, after returning to the Tigers, Lima got two consecutive wins against the

Woori Heroes The Kiwoom Heroes () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Seoul. They are a member of the KBO League. The Heroes play their home games at Gocheok Sky Dome in Gocheok-dong, a neighborhood located in the southwestern part of Seou ...

by pitching seven innings while not allowing a single run, and the

Hanwha Eagles The Hanwha Eagles ( ko, 한화 이글스) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Daejeon. They are a member of the KBO League. The Eagles' home ballpark is Daejeon Hanbat Baseball Stadium. The Eagles have won the Korean Series on ...

, pitching five innings and allowing just three runs, but was still released by the Tigers.

Golden Baseball League

Lima signed with the

Long Beach Armada The Long Beach Armada were an independent professional baseball team based in Long Beach, California, in the United States. The Armada was a member of the North Division of the now-defunct Golden Baseball League (GBL), which was not affiliated wi ...

of the independent Golden Baseball League (GBL) on March 27, 2009. He was to play under veteran minor league manager and former major league all-star Garry Templeton. Lima was traded by the Armada to the

Edmonton Capitals The Edmonton Capitals, originally the Edmonton Cracker-Cats, were a Canadian professional independent minor league baseball team that played between 2005 and 2011 in several leagues. The Capitals are based in Edmonton, Alberta, and are currently ...

for former

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

first-round draft pick Kris Honel on July 31, 2009. During a May visit to Edmonton with the Long Beach Armada, Lima was heartily embraced by the Capitals' fans and even had a local fan club develop at the ballpark—a first ever for a visiting player there. He pitched a total of four games for the Capitals, going 1–2 in the regular season and losing his only GBL playoff appearance.

Personal life

Lima had at least six children with at least six different mothers. He was married twice.

Death

Lima died on the morning of May 23, 2010, at age 37. He was rushed to

Huntington Memorial Hospital Huntington may refer to: Places Canada * Huntington, Nova Scotia New Zealand * Huntington, New Zealand a suburb in Hamilton, New Zealand United Kingdom * Huntington, Cheshire, England * Huntington, East Lothian, Scotland * Huntingto ...

, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy did not determine the cause of death, but stated that due to the condition of his heart, he likely died of a cardiac arrhythmia. He had suffered from cardiac problems. Lima was buried in Cementerio Las Charcas in Santiago. On July 12, 2010,

David Ortiz David Américo Ortiz Arias (born November 18, 1975), nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican-American former designated hitter (DH) and first baseman in Major League Baseball who played in the American League (AL) from 1997 to 2016, primarily wit ...

paid tribute to his late friend by dedicating his victory in the 2010 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby to Lima.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lima, Jose 1972 births 2010 deaths Águilas Cibaeñas players Bristol Tigers players Camden Riversharks players Detroit Tigers players Dominican Republic people of Spanish descent Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Canada Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in South Korea Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Edmonton Capitals players Fayetteville Generals players Houston Astros players Kansas City Royals players KBO League pitchers Kia Tigers players Lakeland Tigers players London Tigers players Long Beach Armada players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic National League All-Stars New York Mets players Newark Bears players Norfolk Tides players Toledo Mud Hens players