What MLB was like last time Wily Mo Pena played a game
The Cleveland Indians made one of the more surprising signings of the offseason on Tuesday when they reportedly agreed to a minor-league deal with veteran outfielder Wily Mo Pena.
Fresh off celebrating his 35th birthday, Pena has a shot at returning to the majors for the first time since 2011 when he split time that season between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners.
Plenty has changed since Pena left the majors to go play in Japan. Here's a look at what the league looked like the last time he suited up:
World Series winner: Cardinals over Rangers
AL playoff teams: Yankees, Rays, Tigers, Rangers
NL playoff teams: Phillies, Brewers, Cardinals, Diamondbacks
Award Season
AL MVP: Justin Verlander (DET)
NL MVP: Ryan Braun (MIL)
AL ROY: Jeremy Hellickson (TB)
NL ROY: Craig Kimbrel (ATL)
AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander (DET)
NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw (LAD)
AL Manager: Joe Maddon (TB)
NL Manager: Kirk Gibson (ARI)
League Leaders:
Batting title: Miguel Cabrera (.344), Jose Reyes (.337)
Home runs: Jose Bautista (43), Matt Kemp (39)
RBI: Curtis Granderson (119), Matt Kemp (126)
Hits: Adrian Gonzalez and Michael Young (213), Starlin Castro (207)
SB: Coco Crisp and Brett Gardner (49), Michael Bourn (61)
Wins: Justin Verlander (24), Ian Kennedy and Clayton Kershaw (21)
ERA: Justin Verlander (2.40), Clayton Kershaw (2.28)
SO: Justin Verlander (250), Clayton Kershaw (248)
SV: Jose Valverde (49), John Axford and Craig Kimbrel (46)
New managers: Fredi Gonzalez (Braves), Mike Quade (Cubs), Don Mattingly (Dodgers), John Farrell (Blue Jays), Ron Roenicke (Brewers), Terry Collins (Mets), Clint Hurdle (Pirates)
Memorable moments:
No shortage of no-no's: Francisco Liriano tossed the fifth no-hitter in Twins history in a 1-0 win over the White Sox on May 3. Justin Verlander picked up his second career no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays five days later during an outing in which he only allowed a walk but still faced the minimum 27 batters. In July, Ervin Santana threw the third no-hitter of the season, when the Angels knocked off the Cleveland Indians 3-1, with the only run coming courtesy a wild pitch in the first inning.
Houston has a problem: The Astros began their rebuild in 2011 with a miserable 56-106 campaign that saw them finish last in the National League Central. It was the first time in the franchise's 50-year history that it would lose 100 games in a season and would begin a trend of three straight years with triple-digit losses.
Colossal collapse: The Red Sox became the first team in MLB history to blow a nine-game lead in September and fail to make the playoffs when they went 7-20 over the final month. Jonathan Papelbon blew a save in the final game of the season in a loss to the Orioles, and the Rays capped off a wild extra-innings comeback courtesy a Evan Longoria walk-off home run in the 12th to give Tampa Bay the division title and eliminate Boston from postseason contention.