José Lima

José Desiderio Lima (born September 30, 1972) is a right-handed pitcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball. He was born in Santiago, Dominican Republic and made his major league debut with the Detroit Tigers on April 20, 1994 at age 22.

Related Topics:
September 30 - 1972 - Pitcher - Kansas City Royals - Major League Baseball - Santiago, Dominican Republic - Detroit Tigers - April 20 - 1994

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After three lackluster years in Detroit, he was traded to the Houston Astros, where he played for four and a half seasons before being traded back to Detroit in 2001. He gained recognition for winning 21 games in 1999 with the Astros, earning a trip to the All Star Game that year. He helped to increase his profile by flamboyantly celebrating his victories in the face of opponents. His dominance on the mound gave rise to the phrase "Lima time" whenever he pitched. A year later, however, Lima surrendered a league-leading 48 home runs and lost 16 games.

Related Topics:
Houston Astros - 2001 - 1999 - All Star Game - Home run

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Since his stellar 1999 season, Lima has generally struggled to recapture his former success while playing for several different teams. He played for Detroit during 2002, then the Kansas City Royals in 2003, the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2004, and in 2005, he returned to Kansas City. With the Dodgers, Lima was 13-5 with a 4.07 ERA, his best performance since 1999.

Related Topics:
2002 - Kansas City Royals - 2003 - Los Angeles Dodgers - 2004 - 2005 - ERA

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In December 2004, Lima was successfully sued by a woman who claimed she had contracted genital herpes from him. Faced with counts of assault and negligence, Lima may owe the woman as much as $950,000. He claims to have contracted the incurable disease while on vacation in the Dominican Republic.

Related Topics:
December 2004 - Genital herpes - Dominican Republic

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