MLB player defends missing game to attend Charlie Kirk's memorial service; says they connected on 'faith'

A Major League Baseball player is defending his decision to skip a recent game so he could attend Charlie Kirk’smemorial service, highlighting how the two became friends because of their shared passion for their Christian faith.

During a locker room interview Tuesday, Chicago Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw was asked about his decision to miss Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds so he could attend Kirk’s memorial service.

Shaw replied to the reporter's question, saying Kirk was “someone that I met at the apartments in Arizona where I lived” and described the late political activist as “one of the biggest Cubs fans I ever met.”

“He texted me after every game,” Shaw recalled, adding that his texts would often consist of messages along the lines of “great win for the Cubbies.” According to Shaw, “He was super super supportive of us and obviously someone who’s really faithful, so we connected on that front as well.”

Shaw added that Kirk's wife, Erika, “had texted me, asking me if I would come to the funeral. I felt as though it was something that was really important for me to do.”

When asked about the “backlash” over attending the memorial service because the late Kirk was a conservative political activist, Shaw said he was “not concerned at all.”

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