Texas Rangers returning to Sunday Night Baseball to kick off 2023 is a sign of respect

It only took about eight years, but the Texas Rangers are finally returning to the prominence of the Sunday Night Baseball stage!

ESPN announced Monday that the Rangers would be kicking off their 2023 lineup of Sunday Night Baseball games against the defending NL champion Philadelphia Phillies, an opponent worthy of the spotlight. The contest will take place on April 2 at Globe Life Field at 7:08 PM ET.

Texas Rangers to kick off ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball lineup in 2023 against the NL champion Phillies

The fact that this will be Texas’ first appearance on Sunday Night Baseball since 2016 is noteworthy, as that season was the last one in which the Rangers made a playoff appearance. Surely, it’s a sign that ESPN is starting to believe in the Rangers once again. And who wouldn’t after the team has gone above and beyond to bring in superstars like Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and now Jacob deGrom in the last two off-seasons? Winning is at the forefront in Arlington once again.

But if you thought one Sunday Night game was exciting, how about two in one month? The Texas Rangers will also be playing on ESPN two weeks later, on April 16 against AL West rivals and the defending champion Houston Astros. Times are really changing, and quickly.

Getting two Sunday night games in primetime against the two World Series teams from 2022 is about as good as it gets for the Rangers, especially considering the team has only won 60 and 68 games the last two seasons, respectively.

All of the efforts that GM Chris Young and his staff have put in to hiring Bruce Bochy as manager and their subsequent player acquisitions are finally starting to gain league-wide traction. And fans across baseball will get to see a much-improved Texas Rangers product for themselves in 2023.

The arrow appears to pointing upwards for the Texas Rangers, and ESPN is helping to make sure everyone sees why by including the team in their Sunday Night Baseball lineup next season.