Factbox on Alex Rodriguez

(Reuters) - Alex Rodriguez, widely considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time, was suspended for the entire 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) season and playoffs for violating the league's drug policy and labor contract after an arbitrator on Saturday rejected the All-Star third baseman's appeal. - Born: July 27, 1975 (Aged 38) - Made MLB debut in July 1994 with the Seattle Mariners and had a .309 batting average, 189 home runs and 595 runs batted in (RBI) over seven seasons in Seattle. - Joined the Texas Rangers as a free agent in 2000 after signing a 10-year deal worth $252 million, which at the time was the most lucrative contract in MLB history. - Went on to hit .305 with 156 home runs and 395 RBI in three seasons with Texas. - Traded to the New York Yankees in 2004 and in 2009 signed a 10-year, $275 million contract that broke the previous record he set in Texas. - In 2009, Rodriguez admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs while playing for the Rangers during a three-year period beginning in 2001. - Avoided suspension because the tests were supposed to be confidential and there was no penalty or punishment at the time for a positive result. - Rodriguez had arthroscopic surgery in his hip on January 16, 2013 to repair a torn labrum, delaying his first MLB game of the 2013 season until August 5. - Was suspended for 211 games without pay by MLB on August 5, 2013 for violations of MLB's joint drug prevention and treatment program and labor contract. - Rodriguez, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, appealed against that suspension, arguing that he was singled out for excessive punishment by MLB. - His 211-game ban was reduced to 162 regular season games for the 2014 season, plus any post season games, in a ruling issued on Saturday by an independent arbitrator who rejected the All-Star third baseman's appeal. - Rodriguez is MLB's active home run leader with 654 for his career and is fifth on the all-time list, 108 behind leader Barry Bonds. - His MLB career statistics include a batting average of .299, a total of 1,969 RBIs and 322 stolen bases. (Compiled by Mark Lamport-Stokes; Editing by Gene Cherry)