Hall-of-Fame baseball star Cal Ripken Jr. says he is excited to “spread the good word about baseball,” as the U.S. and Japan initiate a new sports exchange.

Ripken told reporters in Washington Tuesday that sports give people a way to relate to each other in different cultures around the world. The Baltimore Orioles baseball legend played in a record 2,632 consecutive games – more than any other player. Since retiring in 2001, he has participated in baseball exchanges in Nicaragua and in China.

He spoke at the State Department alongside Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Japanese Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki.

Clinton said this exchange is “particularly meaningful” as a way to show support for Japan, which is still recovering from a devastating earthquake and tsunami and the nuclear crisis they triggered. She said the Japanese people have shown great resilience in rebuilding after the disasters, and that their spirit has been reflected in sports as well.

Referring to Japan's recent victory over the U.S. in the women's soccer World Cup, Clinton said the Japanese players were “motivated to show what is possible.”

Also present at Tuesday's State Department gathering were the young softball and baseball players from Japan participating in the exchange.

Ripken, a public diplomacy envoy for the U.S., is scheduled to visit Japan later this year.