Jose Lima

Jose Lima, whose high-energy brand of pitching he called "Lima time" helped send the Dodgers to the playoffs in his only season in Los Angeles, has died. He was 37. Lima died Sunday, Dan Evans, his agent, told The Times. According to Pasadena Police Lt. Tracey Ibarra, paramedics were called to Lima's home just after 6 a.m. He had suffered an apparent cardiac arrest and was taken to Huntington Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Ibarra said. The cause of death will be determined by an autopsy, said Los Angeles County coroner's investigator Kelli Blanchard.

The news that former Dodgers pitcher Jose Lima died Sunday because of an apparent heart attack seemed too sudden for Manager Joe Torre . Lima was only 37 and seemed in good spirits, attending about five Dodgers games this month. "It's so sad. He was just here the other night," Torre said in disbelief, shortly after being notified of Lima's death. Lima, who spent 13 years in the major leagues, including the 2004 season with the Dodgers, was present at Dodger Stadium on Friday, sitting in the front row of the field level behind home plate.

Jose Lima, who won 21 games in 1999 and then set a National League record by giving up 48 home runs last season, was acquired by the Detroit Tigers from the Houston Astros on Saturday for right-hander Dave Mlicki. Lima, 28, who pitched in Detroit from 1994-96, is 1-2 with a 7.30 earned-run average in nine starts and 14 appearances this season. Mlicki, 33, is 4-8 with a 7.33 ERA. John Rocker reported to the Cleveland Indians but did not dress in a 3-2 loss to Kansas City.

Jose Lima, whose high-energy brand of pitching he called "Lima time" helped send the Dodgers to the playoffs in his only season in Los Angeles, has died. He was 37. Lima died Sunday, Dan Evans, his agent, told The Times. According to Pasadena Police Lt. Tracey Ibarra, paramedics were called to Lima's home just after 6 a.m. He had suffered an apparent cardiac arrest and was taken to Huntington Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Ibarra said. The cause of death will be determined by an autopsy, said Los Angeles County coroner's investigator Kelli Blanchard.

Jose Lima recovered from a shaky start to win his second consecutive outing and Derek Bell and Sean Berry hit home runs at San Francisco, where the Houston Astros defeated the Giants, 6-3, Wednesday night. Lima (2-0), in his second start of the season after pitching in the Houston bullpen for all but one game last year, gave up three runs on eight hits in 6 2/3 innings while striking out five and walking three.

Chicago Cub star Sammy Sosa was angered about a published report that questioned whether compatriot Jose Lima threw an easy pitch on purpose during the Houston Astros' lopsided victory the previous day. Sosa, who entered Monday's game with 51 homers, two behind Mark McGwire in the chase of Roger Maris' record of 61, hit two solo homers Sunday off Lima, his friend from the Dominican Republic.

The news that former Dodgers pitcher Jose Lima died Sunday because of an apparent heart attack seemed too sudden for Manager Joe Torre . Lima was only 37 and seemed in good spirits, attending about five Dodgers games this month. "It's so sad. He was just here the other night," Torre said in disbelief, shortly after being notified of Lima's death. Lima, who spent 13 years in the major leagues, including the 2004 season with the Dodgers, was present at Dodger Stadium on Friday, sitting in the front row of the field level behind home plate.

Jose Lima is confident the wait for his next victory won't be nearly long as this one. "I'm back, I'm back," Lima said after earning his first major-league win since last August in the Kansas City Royals' 10-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night. "I knew sooner or later I was going to get a phone call and I got it, and I'm not going to let it go," he said.

The New York Mets cut pitchers Jose Lima, Heath Bell and Yusaku Iriki to trim their major-league roster to 27 players. Lima, a former Dodger, posted a 8.59 earned-run average in five spring training games. He was competing for the fifth spot in the Mets' starting rotation, which went to rookie Brian Bannister, the son of former major league pitcher Floyd Bannister.

Jose Lima knew what was coming. Umpire crew chief Bruce Froemming inspected the Houston Astro pitcher's uniform before Wednesday's National League division series game at the request of Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox. Cox was concerned that Lima may have had pine tar on his pants, which could have been used to make the ball slicker and more difficult to hit. Cox said Froemming assured him that the discoloring on Lima's pants was not pine tar, though Froemming didn't tell him what it was.

Who knew that Long Beach would become Southern California's last refuge for baseball dreamers, a place where hope and reality and off-kilter fastballs collide? Consider this week's action at the port city's historic little Blair Field, max capacity 3,238. There, two enigmatic pitchers who once drank deeply the major league good life were the main attractions for the Long Beach Armada, a 5-year-old team in the independent Golden Baseball League.

The New York Mets cut pitchers Jose Lima, Heath Bell and Yusaku Iriki to trim their major-league roster to 27 players. Lima, a former Dodger, posted a 8.59 earned-run average in five spring training games. He was competing for the fifth spot in the Mets' starting rotation, which went to rookie Brian Bannister, the son of former major league pitcher Floyd Bannister.

Jose Lima tucked the game ball into the back pocket of his jeans, secured the silver necklace with last year's uniform number around his neck and laughed about his new platinum hair dye. Blonds have more fun, indeed. That Lima is undefeated as a blond is coincidental; that he beat the Dodgers is not. "I wanted to send a message," he said. "I did."

Chan Ho Park earned his 100th major league victory, and the Texas Rangers beat Kansas City, 14-9, Saturday at Kansas City, Mo, handing the Royals their first loss under Manager Buddy Bell. The Rangers got home runs from Michael Young, Alfonso Soriano, Rod Barajas and Laynce Nix to end Kansas City's four-game winning streak. Bell dropped to 4-1 since taking over the worst team in the major leagues on Tuesday.

Maybe the Dodgers got it right when they opted not to re-sign Jose Lima after he pitched them to their first postseason victory since 1988. Lima is a fun guy to have in the clubhouse and can deliver a stirring rendition of the national anthem. But in his first two starts of 2005, he has shown little resemblance to the pitcher who last season shut out the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 3 of the National League division series.

It is a classic case of had they only known then what they know now. The recent signing of pitcher Jose Lima for one year at $2.5 million by the Kansas City Royals represents a lost opportunity for the Dodgers and Lima. The Dodgers declined to offer Lima arbitration before the Dec. 7 deadline -- thereby giving up negotiating rights -- because he was seeking a two-year contract for about $6 million.

The applause began before Astro Manager Larry Dierker emerged from the dugout in the eighth inning Saturday afternoon, and a standing ovation soon followed. An appreciative and raucous Astrodome crowd of 52,062 simply couldn't wait to thank pitcher Jose Lima for his dominant 7 2/3-inning outing during the Astros' key 3-0 victory over the Dodgers. With Lima leading the way, the Astros (96-65) took a one-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Central Division.

Jose Lima tucked the game ball into the back pocket of his jeans, secured the silver necklace with last year's uniform number around his neck and laughed about his new platinum hair dye. Blonds have more fun, indeed. That Lima is undefeated as a blond is coincidental; that he beat the Dodgers is not. "I wanted to send a message," he said. "I did."

"Lee-ma, Lee-ma, Lee-ma!" He screamed, he laughed, he danced, he prayed, he hugged, he kissed, he sweated, he shook, then he threw his first pitch. He hollered to the press box for somebody to turn up the merengue music. He chanted into his glove about throwing strikes. He shouted oddly to the sky while running into the dugout after every inning. We have no idea what he was saying, but that's OK, because neither did he. "Lee-ma, Lee-ma, Lee-ma!"

Facing a familiar postseason predicament, the Dodgers resolved to attack one major obstacle at a time and Jose Lima vowed to lead them. The flamboyant pitcher fed off the energy of postseason-starved fans Saturday night and the Dodgers followed him to a 4-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 3 of the National League division series in front of a raucous sellout crowd of 55,992 at Dodger Stadium.