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MLB players serving drug suspensions during season will be banned from that year’s post-season

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FILE - In this Dec. 3, 2013, file photo, Tony Clark, executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, answers questions during a news conference in San Diego. At rear is executive board member Jeremy Guthrie. People familiar with the negotiations tell The Associated Press that baseball players and management hope to reach a new drug agreement this week that would increase initial penalties for muscle-building steroids and decrease suspensions for some positive tests caused by unintentional use. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi, File)

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Baseball players suspended during the season for a performance-enhancing drug violation will not be eligible for that year’s post-season under changes to the sport’s drug agreement announced Friday.

In a series of significant changes to the drug rules, Major League Baseball and the players’ association said penalties will increase from 50 games to 80 for a first testing violation and from 100 games to 162 for a second. A third penalty remains a lifetime ban.

A player serving a season-long suspension will lose all his pay. Under the previous deal, the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez gets 21-183s of his salary this year, or about $2.8 million.

In-season random urine tests, in addition to the minimum two for each player, will increase from 1,400 to 3,200 overall. There will be 400 random blood collections used to detect human growth hormone in addition to the mandatory one for each player during spring training.

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