Jose Lima's death was caused by a heart attack while he was asleep. Dorca Astacio, Lima’s wife, was the one who told ESPN about Lima's heart attack.
“Jose was complaining while sleeping and I just thought he was having a nightmare,” she told ESPN.
“I called the paramedics, but they couldn’t help him.”
Speaking on Inside Sports with Dan Tencer last week, Manager of the Capitals Brent Bowers said Jose Lima wasn't expected back this year, because he was working on personal matters.
Known affectionately as “Lima Time,” the veteran of 13 major league seasons and six teams joined the Astros in 1997 in a multiplayer trade from Detroit to begin a 4˝ -season stint with the team.
His best year came in 1999, when he went 21-10 with a 3.58 ERA in a career-high 35 starts en route to earning All-Star honors and helping the Astros to a third consecutive National League Central title.
News of the righthander’s death reached the Astros as they prepared to take on the Tampa Bay Rays in Sunday's series finale at Minute Maid Park.
Jose Lima's gregarious personality made him a natural leader in the clubhouse, and he treated everyone -- teammates, reporters, fans -- the same. He routinely ignored the longstanding tradition of starting pitchers not giving pregame interviews on the day they pitch, sometimes holding long conversations with beat writers before starting his pregame routine.
He even sang the national anthem before one game against Cincinnati at Dodger Stadium on a day when he wasn't pitching, as his wife stood at his side on the field.
