Mets announcers criticize Cubs player Matt Shaw for leaving team to attend Charlie Kirk's funeral

Baseball legend Roger Clemens calls late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk a 'sweetheart of a man' and addresses whether athletes should speak out more about politics on 'The Will Cain Show.'

New York Mets broadcaster Gary Cohen criticized Chicago Cubs player Matt Shaw for missing one of the team's games this past weekend to attend Charlie Kirk's funeral. 

Cohen's comments came during SNY's broadcast of the Mets' game against the Cubs on Tuesday night, while Shaw was up to bat in the fourth inning, calling the decision "weird." 

"I don't want to talk about any of the politics of it, but the thought of leaving your team in the middle of a race for any reason other than a family emergency, really strikes me as weird," Cohen said. 

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Chicago Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw (6) is interviewed after a game against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on July 26, 2025. (Patrick Gorski/Imagn Images)

Fellow Mets broadcaster Todd Zeile called Shaw's absence "unprecedented." 

"It's unusual, I think it's unprecedented at least from my experience as a player, and I think it made it a little more unusual that it was not revealed until after it came to issue because he was thought to be in the dugout and maybe available, and was not, and that's how it was revealed," Zeile said. 

Cohen and Zeile were criticized on social media for their comments about Shaw's absence. 

Shaw missed the Cubs’ 1-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday to attend the memorial service in Glendale, though manager Craig Counsell mentioned to the media that Shaw wasn’t available for the game because he was at a funeral for a friend. 

Shaw explained why he made it a point to attend the memorial despite his