José Lima
A flamboyant pitcher whose electric personality and 21-win season for the Astros made him a cult hero known as 'Lima Time.'
1972–2010 (age 38)·Dominican baseball player·Birthday: September 30·Generation X
Biography
José Lima won 21 games for the Houston Astros in 1999, earning an All-Star selection. The right-hander pitched with flamboyant confidence, branding each start 'Lima Time' with fist-pumps and shouts. He recorded a merengue album and believed his energy could will his team to victory. Lima's career swung between highs and lows. He threw a complete-game shutout in the 2004 playoffs for the Los Angeles Dodgers. After bouncing through several organizations, he pitched for the New York Mets, Kansas City Royals, and Washington Nationals. Lima died of a heart attack at age 37 in 2010. He finished with an 89-102 record and a 5.26 ERA.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
José was born in 1972, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When José Was Born
The biggest hits of 1972
#1 Movie
The Godfather
Best Picture
The Godfather
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
José's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1972Born
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1977Started school
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1985Became a teenager
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1988Could drive
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1990Could vote
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1993Turned 21
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2002Turned 30
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2010Died at 38
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
Key Achievements
- Won 21 games for the Houston Astros in 1999, finishing fourth in National League Cy Young Award voting.
- Selected as a National League All-Star in 1999, the only All-Star selection of his 13-year career.
- Pitched a complete-game shutout for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2004 National League Division Series.
Did You Know?
He released a merengue music album titled 'Lima Time!' in 2000.
He famously claimed he could 'pitch with my eyes closed' and once wore sunglasses on the mound during a night game.
After his playing career, he served as a pitching coach for the Licey Tigers in the Dominican Winter League.
“It's Lima Time! That's my time. When I'm on the mound, I feel like I'm the king.”
