Don Mattingly, who manages the MLB All-Star team, and baseball players visited Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on Monday and placed flowers at a cenotaph commemorating victims of the U.S. atomic bombing of the city in 1945.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda and Seattle Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger, who are playing in the ongoing Japan MLB All-Stars Series, were among a group of four led to the cenotaph by Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui.

"I want to tell both the American and Japanese people through baseball that the memorial park holds a special meaning for people in Hiroshima," said Maeda, who played with Japan's Hiroshima Carp before moving to the United States.

The group visited the park and the Peace Memorial Museum a day before playing Game 4 of the six-game series against Japan's national team at Hiroshima's Mazda Stadium.

After visiting the Peace Memorial Museum, Miami Marlins manager Mattingly wrote a message in the visitors' book, saying, "We remember the fallen. We value the friendships of our shared game, together we hope for peace."