Normally we wouldn’t give two bits of a shit to a has been that was known more for his off the field antics than on the field success, but Jose Lima, a.k.a. Lima Time, has a special place in our hearts. The sultan of charisma caressed the eroding arteries of our hearts when he pitched that glorious five hit shutout for the Dodgers in the first round of the 2004 playoffs against, undoubtedly, the best lineup in the major leagues. It was the first playoff victory for the blue crew since 1988—and that’s a completely other bag of grief we’re not about to ransack. Lima moved onto Korea to play for Kia after his moment of glory and things didn’t turn out so well.

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!”

But not out of our hearts Lima. As long as we get a post-career anthem performance with his lovely wife Melissa Lima at his side, then we’re going to be fine.

Korean Lima Time Comes to an Abrupt End [East Wind Chronicle, via Deadspin]
Image [East Wind Chronicle]