Jose Lima hopes his time will come again

Since his last stint in baseball, Irabu has been happily ensconced in Southern California, living in Palos Verdes with his wife and two daughters. For a while, he owned a chain of noodle restaurants in the Torrance area. Baseball was but an afterthought. But as he described it, in January he began casually throwing batting practice at the Urban Baseball Academy in Compton. Surprisingly, he said, he was hitting the low 90s with his fastball. It wasn't long before he was traveling to Pasadena every Sunday to play with ex-college players at a field near the Rose Bowl. And not long before his agent was doing what Lima's did: calling the last-chance Long Beach Armada, looking for a job.

Maybe it's a good thing Irabu has no big plans. He's good with no pressure. He looked sharp Saturday night, not giving up a hit until the fifth inning during a 12-2 Armada win.

As for the man who sang the national anthem? Well, nothing seems capable of deterring Jose Lima's hope.

"I'm not giving up, man," he said, assuring his off-kilter pitching Friday was a temporary thing. "Trust me, I'll be back. It'll be Lima Time again."

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kurt.streeter@latimes.com