José Desiderio Rodriguez Lima (September 30, 1972 – May 23, 2010) was a Dominican right-handed pitcher who spent 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Detroit Tigers (1994–1996, 2001–2002), Houston Astros (1997–2001), Kansas City Royals (2003, 2005), Los Angeles Dodgers (2004) and New York Mets (2006).

[1] Due to his indulging in musical pursuits beyond baseball, he was once described by The New York Times sportswriter Ben Shpigel as "the national anthem-crooning, towel-waving merengue singer who moonlights as a right-handed pitcher".

[2][3] Lima made his Major League debut with the Detroit Tigers on April 20, 1994, at age 21, making a start against the Kansas City Royals.

Lima pitched for the Newark Bears in the Independent Atlantic League early in 2003, but returned to MLB in June 2003, when he was acquired by the Kansas City Royals.

Possibly the best moment of his career came on October 9, 2004, in Game Three of the 2004 National League Division Series, when he pitched a five-hit shutout against the St. Louis Cardinals.

In 2005, Lima returned to Kansas City as a free agent but managed only to compile a record of 5–16, while posting a 6.99 ERA and was not re-signed by the club.

[4] Lima had another poor outing, on July 7, 2006, against the Florida Marlins, which included surrendering a grand slam to opposing pitcher Dontrelle Willis, and was removed from the game.

Lima was traded by the Armada to the Edmonton Capitals for former Chicago White Sox first-round draft pick Kris Honel on July 31, 2009.

On July 12, 2010, David Ortiz paid tribute to his late friend by dedicating his victory in the 2010 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby to Lima.