An arbitrator Saturday upheld most of New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez's 211-game doping suspension, keeping him out of the 162-game 2014 regular season and the postseason. The ruling by Major League Baseball arbitrator Fredric Horowitz will not only cost Rodriguez $25 million in salary, it also further clouds the groundbreaking career of a player who will turn 40 during the 2015 season. The 162-game suspension -- which is the most severe punishment in baseball history for doping -- highlights baseball Commissioner Bud Selig's recent high-profile crackdown on performance-enhancing drugs. Rodriguez, one of the best players of his generation who was once considered an automatic Hall of Fame candidate, was defiant in a statement released Saturday. He will likely appeal in federal court.The New York Yankees say they "respect" the decisionAlex Rodriguez suspended for 2014 regular season and postseasonDecision will cost slugger $25 millionRodriguez plans to appeal
Rodriguez, who has claimed he was the target of a _ "witch hunt," probably will appeal Horowitz's decision in the courts or to seek to delay the suspension.