Former All-Star pitcher Jose Lima died of a heart attack Sunday morning, according to a news report by ESPN.
Wife Dorca reportedly told ESPNdeportes.com that the 37-year-old star from the Dominican Republic was complaining during his sleep, but that she thought he was just having a bad dream.
Lima was signed by the Detroit Tigers as a free agent in 1989 as a 17-year-old and he made his debut in 1994.
He went 89-102 (.466) during his 13 seasons in the Majors, having played five years with each of the Tigers and Astros, two seasons with the Royals, one season with the Dodgers, and a small handful of starts with the Mets.
Lima was probably best known for his middle years pitching in Houston in the late 90s.
He won 16 games in 1998 and led the National League with 5.28 strikeouts per walk, and he followed it up the following year with a 21-win season en route to his only All-Star appearance. He finished fourth in the Cy Young voting that season behind Kevin Millwood, Mike Hampton, and winner Randy Johnson.
Lima had not pitched in the bigs since his 2006 showing with the Mets, although he did pitch for Aguilas Cibaenas in his native Dominican Republic last winter.
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