"Should suspend him indefinitely"; "Worth it" - Fans split as Matt Shaw misses Cubs game to attend Charlie Kirk memorial

Chicago Cubs rookie Matt Shaw missed Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. The third baseman left the team before the series finale to reportedly attend political activist Charlie Kirk's memorial service.

Shaw reportedly asked to be excused from the series finale against the Reds as he traveled to State Farm Stadium in Arizona for the memorial service of the conservative activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA.

The Cubs infielder's decision divided MLB fans on social media.

"The league should suspend him indefinitely without pay, he abandoned his team."

"Truth is he sucks at baseball anyway. I doubt they missed him."

"No. Fu****g. Way. I’d DFA that loser."

Several fans praised Shaw for skipping the game pay tribute to his friend.

Well worth it. Good on you

"I’m now a Matt Shaw fan. Those that are complaining are like the ones that complained when Koufax & Hank Greenburg missed World Series game to observe Yom Koppur."

"W Cubs for allowing a man to celebrate the life of a friend… Double W Shaw for prioritizing the memorialization of his friend over baseball."

"Good man Matt Shaw❤️❤️🙏"

Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot on Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University, grew up in Chicago and even attended a Cubs game at Wrigley Field last month. He posed with Shaw and Michael Busch after the game.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash