Chicago Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw left the team on Sunday to attend Charlie Kirk’s funeral in Arizona, according to a report from The Athletic.
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were among those also at the service.
“Matt Shaw was unavailable today,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said after Sunday’s 1-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. “He attended the funeral of a friend.”
Kirk attended a recent Cubs game at Wrigley Field and posed with Shaw and teammate Michael Busch.
Shaw, a rookie, is batting .223 with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs for the Cubs, who hold an eight game lead in the National League Wild Card standings.
A friend and supporter of President Donald Trump, Kirk was shot and killed Sept. 10 at a Utah college event in what Gov. Spencer Cox called a political assassination carried out from a rooftop.
Even though many conservative-leaning sports fans have been among the most vocal about keeping politics out of sports, they have applauded moves to honor Kirk, whom critics see as divisive, racist and xenophobic.
Kirk became recognized as one of the most prominent voices of the MAGA movement, and his death has served as a rallying cry for the Republican Party.
NJ Advance Media’s Todderick Hunt contributed reporting.
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