UPDATE — 9/24/25, 9:50 a.m. ET: Chicago Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw responded after he faced criticism for skipping a crucial game to attend Charlie Kirk’s memorial service.

“[Kirk’s] wife Erika had texted me, asking me if I would come to the funeral,” Shaw, 23, told reporters on Tuesday, September 23. “I felt as though it was something that was really important for me to do.”

Shaw explained he and Kirk became friends when they lived in the same Arizona apartment complex in the offseason.

“My connection with Charlie was through our faith,” Shaw said. “That’s something that drives me every day. That’s the reason why I’m able to do what I do every day. That’s something I’m extremely thankful for. I know that without my faith – and without the many blessings I’ve been given in my life – I

See Full Page