Arizona Diamondbacks official backing MLB in Alex Rodriguez lawsuit

PHOENIX — New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez is taking a swing at Major League Baseball.

A-Rod is suing MLB and Commissioner Bud Selig, claiming his 211-game suspension for violating baseball’s drug policy is too long.

Arizona Diamondbacks President and CEO Derrick Hall disagrees.

“I support the Commissioner’s office and Major League Baseball for the decisions they made when it came to the penalties that were handed down,” he said. “I’m very proud of the fact that we have the strongest and harshest drug policy in all of sports, and I’m going to stand behind them all of the way.”

Rodriguez claimed baseball has been on a “witch hunt” designed to smear his character and cost him tens of millions of dollars. He is appealing the suspension.

Major League Baseball released a statement Friday that called the lawsuit a “clear violation” of the confidentiality part of a drug agreement between MLB and the players union. It claimed Rodriguez is acting “desperate.”