UPDATE:As it turns out Jose Lima has (maybe) not (quite) been released by the Kia Tigers. Indeed it was reported as having already happened by the Hanguk Ilbo in the story I linked to in the original post, and by others, but as was suggested in the comments section, it hasn’t quite happened yet. Reports tonight make it sound like Kia is going to give him a couple more starts.
In truth I’m kind of happy it’s not true. A successful Jose Lima is more fun than no Jose Lima. Frankly, it wouldn’t surprise me if Kia issued a report saying they had cut him – even though they hadn’t – as a motivating ploy.
Jose Lima became the first mercenary casualty of the young 2008 season as the 36-year-old hurler was released by the Kia Tigers Wednesday afternoon.
Lima’s arrival in Korea was met with great fanfare, but he struggled mightily in his last two starts. The final straw apparently came Tuesday evening against the LG Twins, a game in which he surrendered eight runs on eight hits in just 3 2/3 innings. Kia is currently in last place having won just four of 15 games.
He leaves Korea not having won a single game, as the headline on the Korean Web portal Naver gleefully reads: “Not one win gathered…Lima is Kicked Out!”
Indeed.
Korean baseball teams are known for giving foreign players short leashes, but Lima’s still comes as a bit of a surprise. Expectations of the Tigers were high going into 2008, in large part because the team had four players with major league experience –Choi Hee-seop, Seo Jae-weong, Wilson Valdez and Lima.
Limatime final line in Korea: 0-1, 21 2/3 inn, 28 hits, 15 ER, 7K, 6BB, 6.23 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 2.91 K/9, OBA .322
In other KBO news on Wednesday former major leaguer Kim Sun-woo, who was signed this offseason by the Doosan Bears for $3MM, was demoted to the minor leagues after an 0-3 start.
20 responses so far ↓
1 Ted // Apr 17, 2008 at 12:55 am
I’ll tell you, for all of his epic–and protracted–decline, the two great Lima years were just as epic.
2 Ironchef // Apr 17, 2008 at 1:21 am
I wonder if he picked up the Korean art of Domestic Violence when he was there.
3 Ex-Mets Watch: Lima Time // Apr 17, 2008 at 6:19 am
[…] this Korean newspaper headline says, according to the East Windup Chronicle, “Not One Win Gathered…Lime is Kicked […]
4 PeteJayhawk // Apr 17, 2008 at 7:22 am
If you’re going to say “Choi Hee-Seop”, shouldn’t you also say “Lima Jose” and “Valdez Wilson”?
When in Seoul…
5 simon // Apr 17, 2008 at 8:03 am
Following the name ordering convention for the person’s country of origin, that’s one way to do it.
Name ordering for Asian names seem to go either way in English language media depending on the time in history, country, and which field the person works or practiced in.
6 Shinsano // Apr 17, 2008 at 10:44 am
When we first started this I tried to pay special attention to putting Asian family names first, and sometimes even putting the names in Chinese, Korean or Japanese.
But I can’t get hung up on that stuff now. I only hear Korean names in Korean, and so to put the family name last feels silly. I’m less familiar with Japanese family names, plus I hear them less…so I do the best I can. Western names, no.
I don’t think anyone will be too offended by any of it. At least I hope they won’t.
7 Gordon // Apr 17, 2008 at 11:16 am
rerish nooooo
also, C. C. Sabathia would KILL for that pitching line…
8 simon // Apr 17, 2008 at 11:47 am
I knew about Hungary, but not Africa or other former Soviet bloc nations…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_name#Name_order
Since a name is made up of several parts, the order in which those parts are arranged can be significant. The order family name, given name is commonly known as the Eastern order and is used in Africa, East Asia (for example in China, Japan, Korea, Malaysian Chinese, Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam), and Hungary. Eastern order is also common in Slovenia, Ukraine, Russia, and a few other ex-USSR countries, especially in official contexts.
9 Mike McStay // Apr 17, 2008 at 12:00 pm
sad, I actually met him at a spring training game here in Daejeon. He seemed real happy to be pitching for Kia. I had heard a rumor about his mouth running amuck here in Korea.
10 Jackson // Apr 17, 2008 at 12:03 pm
This is the second time Chef has been harsh on the Koreans. Maybe it stems back to the time that the Korean foreign exchange stole his girlfriend in high school. We’ll have to ask him.
11 Shinsano // Apr 17, 2008 at 12:30 pm
We can ask Chef but I don’t know if we’ll want to print the answer….
12 Shinsano // Apr 17, 2008 at 12:32 pm
And on the subject of Lima…I’m kind of sorry he’s leaving. I think four starts is an awful quick hook, but there may have been other things involved as Mike suggests above.
I was pretty wary about how his antics would go over here, especially if he wasn’t pitching well.
13 Dan // Apr 17, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Lima is still on the team….a newspaper reported he was cut…but that is false.
he is on a short lease and will be given a few more starts before being released.
14 Matt // Apr 17, 2008 at 2:04 pm
This seems to be the pattern with Jose
1. Suck
2. Complain about sucking or lack of playing time.
3. Get released.
15 Ironchef // Apr 17, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Can we send Mike Timlin to Korea? He looks more dead than Joba’s dad.
16 Korea’s Had Enough of Lima Time | Larry Brown Sports // Apr 17, 2008 at 3:58 pm
[…] But sadly I must pass along the tragic news that Jose Lima’s run with the Kia Tigers has come to an end. Lima’s squad was only 4-11 on the year and he wasn’t performing too well. According to […]
17 Brian // Apr 20, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Two mentions on Deadspin in about as many weeks . . . nice.
18 YESKIM // Apr 22, 2008 at 4:20 am
Dan is right. Lima has not been released from Korea. Spoke to him last night (April 20th).
19 Razzball Historical Spotlight: Jose Lima (2000, 2005) // Apr 25, 2008 at 4:27 am
[…] early reports that Jose Lima was released from the Kia Tigers of the Korean League may have been lost in […]
20 Jose Lima: Unemployed « Big Apple Sports: All New York Sports. All The Time. // May 8, 2008 at 2:09 am
[…] story, however, has since been refuted. Lima is in fact still under contract, and will be given a few more starts to prove […]
Leave a Comment