Cal Ripken Jr.

Cal Ripken Jr., elected as a director in 2019, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007 following a distinguished 21-year career with the Baltimore Orioles. In 1995, Ripken broke Lou Gehrig’s Major League record for consecutive games played (2,130), and then went another three seasons before voluntarily ending the streak after playing his 2,632nd consecutive game on Sept. 20 1998. In his post-playing career, Ripken is using the platform that baseball has provided him to help grow the game he loves at the grassroots level. He owns Ripken Baseball and, along with his family, founded the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. Ripken Baseball currently operates youth baseball complexes, while the foundation operates nationally and serves over one million youth each year through programs and the construction of multi-purpose youth fields that provide kids with safe places to play. Ripken is also a Sports Diplomacy Envoy for the U.S. State Department.