Chicago Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw missed the group's essential sport towards the Cincinnati Reds to attend conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk's funeral.
Shaw, 23, was not within the lineup when the Cubs performed the Reds at Cincinnati's Nice American Ballpark on Sunday, September 21. The Cubs misplaced, 1-0.
“Matt Shaw was unavailable at the moment,” Cubs supervisor Craig Counsell advised reporters after the sport. “He attended the funeral of a pal.”
Bruce Levine, a baseball reporter for Chicago's WSCR-AM, subsequently shared via X, “The Chicago Cubs excused 3B Matt Shaw at the moment in an effort to attend his pal Charlie Kirk's funeral.”
The Athletic confirmed by way of a number of group and league sources that Shaw traveled to Arizona for the memorial service, which occurred on Sunday afternoon at Glendale's State Farm Stadium.
The Cubs misplaced their fourth straight sport for the primary time this season on Sunday. The group has a three-game lead over the San Diego Padres for house area benefit within the MLB Wild Card Spherical.
Shaw is predicted to rejoin the group once they open a three-game homestand towards the New York Mets on Tuesday, September 23.
The Cubs star was additionally scratched from the group's lineup on the night time of Kirk's dying for unspecified causes.
Shaw was chosen by the Cubs within the 2023 MLB Draft and the Springfield, Massachusetts native made his skilled debut in March.
In 121 video games for the Cubs this season, Shaw has a .223 batting common with 12 house runs and 42 RBIs.
Kirk, who was born within the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, was shot and killed throughout a talking engagement at Utah Valley College on September 10. He was 31 years previous.
The political activist attended a Cubs sport at Wrigley Subject in August, the place he posed for a photo on the field with Shaw and his teammate Michael Busch.
“Cubs Win!” Kirk captioned the image.
Kirk additionally posted an image of a baseball from his seat at Wrigley Subject, which was stamped, “Made in China.”
“Nothing is extra American than Baseball,” he wrote via X. “Baseballs shouldn't be made in China, interval. ‘Made in China' on a baseball is a shame and exhibits the Chinese language taunting our nation. No extra!”
Kirk's memorial service was additionally attended by President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, Elon Musk and Secretary of Well being and Human Companies Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his spouse, actress Cheryl Hines.
