Feb. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Former Baltimore Orioles and Hall- of-Fame baseball player Cal Ripken said Alex Rodriguez’s accomplishments will now carry an asterisk after the New York Yankees third baseman admitted using performance-enhancing drugs.

Ripken said it was a “shock” when Rodriguez said this month that his cousin had injected him with an over-the-counter substance from the Dominican Republic from 2001 through 2003 while he played for the Texas Rangers. Ripken said he has known Rodriguez, 34, for 18 years.

The news may mean Rodriguez and Barry Bonds, who faces trial on perjury charges related to steroid use, will get a tougher time from baseball fans and Hall of Fame voters, Ripken said in an interview on Bloomberg Television. The former Oriole said a “cloud of steroids is hanging over baseball, and I’d like that to go away.”

“For sure, people are going to look at them differently because of that, whether it’s the Hall of Fame or not,” Ripken said. “It’s going to affect everyone’s decisions: How real are their numbers? And as soon as you get tied to that, whether it’s an asterisk or not, people have an asterisk in their minds.”

Sports Illustrated reported on Feb. 7 that Rodriguez, a three-time Most Valuable Player, failed a drug test in 2003. Two days later in an interview with ESPN, Rodriguez confirmed that he used performance-enhancing drugs.

Ripken, 48, spent his 21-year career with Baltimore and played in a Major League record 2,632 consecutive games.

To contact the reporter on this story: Christopher Elser in London at celser@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: February 23, 2009 10:52 EST