(CNN) -- Major League Baseball on Monday suspended 13 players, including New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, after an investigation into the use of performance-enhancing drugs. The league suspended Rodriguez for 211 regular-season games through the 2014 season, but the 38-year-old slugger said he planned to appeal. Twelve other players have accepted 50-game suspensions without pay. A-Rod and the other players are accused of having ties to the now-shuttered Biogenesis anti-aging clinic in south Florida and taking performance-enhancing drugs. Rodriguez has denied the accusation. "I'm fighting for my life. I have to defend myself. If I don't defend myself, no one else will," he told reporters after the league announced its decision.
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NEW: The New York Yankees star is booed at Monday night's game
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Rodriguez describes the last seven months as a "nightmare"
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Major League Baseball suspends Rodriguez for 211 games
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12 other players agree to 50-game suspensions without pay
@placeholder's sweeping investigation shows a change in how officials handle performance-enhancing drugs, CNN sports reporter Rachel Nichols said.
Under the drug program, "Rodriguez's suspension will be stayed until the completion of his appeal if @placeholder files a grievance challenging his discipline," the MLB statement said.