Dominican right-handed pitcher and former all-star, Jose Desiderio Rodriguez Lima, passed away of a heart attack at the age of 37 on May 23, 2010. Mr. Lima was once described by The New York Times sportswriter Ben Shpigel as “the national anthem-crooning, towel-waving merengue singer who moonlights as a right-handed pitcher.”
From the Associated Press:
Referring to his often colorful outings as “Lima Time,” 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 champion Astros.
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 stop with the New York Mets in 2006.
“He was a man full of life, without apparent physical problems and with many plans and projects on the agenda,” his wife, Dorca Astacio, told ESPNdeportes.com.
Lima went 46-42 with the Astros between 1997-2001, and he was a 20-game winner and an All-Star with the Houston team.
With the Dodgers in 2004 and 2005, Lima had a record of 13-5, with a 4.07 ERA. In the 2004 National League Division Series, Lima pitched a 5-hit shutout against the St. Louis Cardinals in front of a sell-out crowd at Dodger Stadium. It was the Dodgers first postseason win since Game 5 of the 1988 World Series.
He also spent two stints with Detroit and Kansas City.
We at Being Latino honor the life and career of Mr. Lima.
Huffington Post- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sports/
New York Times- http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B03E1DC103EF934A25751C0A9609C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all
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About Libby Juliá-Vázquez