A-Rod files suit:

Referring to “vigilante justice” and a “witch hunt,” Yankees slugger sues MLB over drug probe.

new york » Alex Rodriguez sued Major League Baseball and commissioner Bud Selig, accusing them of pursuing “vigilante justice” as part of a “witch hunt” designed to smear the character of the New York Yankees star and cost him tens of millions of dollars.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in New York State Supreme Court, seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for what it alleges was a relentless campaign by the league and Selig to “destroy the reputation and career of Alex Rodriguez.”

The suit was filed during the firstweek of hearings in the grievance by the MLB Players Association to overturn the 211-game suspension of Rodriguez imposed by the league Aug. 5 for alleged violations of baseball’s drug agreement and labor contract. The suspension stemmed from baseball’s investigation of the Biogenesis of America anti-aging clinic. Adecision on the grievance by arbitrator Fredric Horowitz is not likely for several months.

The suit claims Selig and MLB tried to smear the three-time AL MVP’s reputation to “gloss over” Selig’s past inaction on performance-enhancing drugs, which the lawsuit said had turned the “Golden Age of Baseball” into the “Golden Age of Steroids.” The lawsuit said Selig hoped to redeem himself and secure his legacy as the “savior” of America’s pastime at the expense of Rodriguez.