http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...b/7018516.html
For Jose Lima, it was time. And to those who knew and played along side him, it came way too soon.
Lima, the former Astros pitcher who became a fan favorite almost overnight for his flamboyant personality and fledgling musical career as much as his meteoric rise – and equally fast fall – on the mound, died Sunday of a massive heart attack at his home in Los Angeles. He was 37.
Known affectionately as “Lima Time,” the veteran of 13 major league seasons and six teams joined the Astros in 1997 in a multiplayer trade from Detroit to begin a 4½ -season stint with the team.
His best year came in 1999, when he went 21-10 with a 3.58 ERA in a career-high 35 starts en route to earning All-Star honors and helping the Astros to a third consecutive National League Central title.
News of the righthander’s death reached the Astros as they prepared to take on the Tampa Bay Rays in Sunday's series finale at Minute Maid Park.
"He was a person that not only had a passion for the game, but had a passion for life," said former Astros general manager Gerry Hunsicker, who is now senior vice president of baseball operations for the Rays. "He was happy-go-lucky. He always had a smile on his face and seemed to just wake up everyday raring to go and looking to do something good in the world. That not only carried over to the field, but personalities like that relate very well to the fans."
Astros owner Drayton McLane said Lima "lit up a clubhouse" with his personality.
"It saddened me greatly to hear of Jose's passing," McLane said in a statement. "He had an outstanding career with the Astros and won 21 games in 1999 on one our greatest teams ever. 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."
At his best, Lima won a combined 37 games in 1998-1999 and looked primed to become one of the most successful pitchers in franchise history.
But Lima could never replicate the effort once the team moved from the cavernous Astrodome to then-Enron Field, where the field dimensions played mind games on the pitcher.
He went 7-16 in 2000 and 1-2 in 2001 before being traded back to Detroit. He finished 46-42 as an Astro with a 4.77 ERA. For his career, he went 89-102 with a 5.26 ERA.
Lima’s last major league stint came in 2006 with New York Mets, with whom he lasted just four starts. He also had a stint in the Korean league in 2008 and the independent Golden Baseball League last year.
He had recently rejoined the Los Angeles Dodgers, for whom he pitched in 2004, as a member of the Dodgers Alumni Association.
News of Lima's death shocked former teammates and coaches.
“I’m shocked; I’ve got goose bumps,” said Astros great and former first-base coach Jose Cruz, who was close to Lima during the pitcher's time in Houston. “He was a good man; he was a good friend of mine. He was a very happy man. A lot of people loved him. And he was a great pitcher, a competitor. I had so much fun when he threw. He enjoyed the game. I was a fan of his.”
Astros manager Ed Wade was not with the Astros during Lima’s tenure but said he, too, was shocked.
“It was sad news to hear something like that happening,” said Wade, who had the chance to trade for Lima during his time as the Philadelphia Phillies' GM. “Aside from his performance, the thing people talk most about him was his personality and vibrancy and musical career and how he related to the fans.”
Said Astros president of baseball operations Tal Smith: “He pitched and lived life with great flair and enthusiasm. ‘Lima Time’ will always be remembered by those for whom he performed."
RIP Jose Lima
