ESPN's 'Sunday Night Baseball' to show 2 early-season Astros games, including World Series rematch

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies won't have to wait long to reignite their World Series rivalry in the coming 2023 regular season.

It's been known for a while, well before their world championship series, that the 'Stros will face off with Philadelphia for a three-game series April 28-30 at Minute Maid Park.

The series finale will now be a nationally-televised affair as part of ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" slate.

Relive the joy and excitement of the Astros' 2022 World Series championship parade celebration in the video above.

The network revealed eight early-season games that it will feature on its flagship weekly MLB broadcast.

Two Astros matchups were chosen among the eight games. Aside from the World Series rematch on April 30, Houston will also face off with its Lone Star Series rivals, the Texas Rangers, on April 16.

Both games will be broadcast on ESPN at 6 p.m. CT. The games will also be available on ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, and the ESPN App.

Monday's announcement comes weeks after the network announced it will show the Astros' championship banner reveal before they take on the Chicago White Sox on Opening Night, March 30.

SEE MORE: Houston Astros raising World Series banner when they face White Sox on Opening Night 2023

ESPN is also slated to broadcast the annual MLB Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 20. The Phillies and Nationals will face off.

Another notable matchup on the Sunday Night Baseball schedule is an April 23 game between the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants, who are two teams that acquired past Astros stars during the offseason. 'Stros fans may get to watch Justin Verlander pitch for the Mets and Carlos Correa play shortstop for the Giants.

SEE ALSO: Astros free agency tracker: Who from the 2022 World Series team has departed Houston?

Here are the nine Sunday Night Baseball games announced so far. ESPN will televise a total of 25 Sunday night games in the coming season:

• April 2: Philadelphia Phillies vs. Texas Rangers
• April 9: San Diego Padres vs. Atlanta Braves
• April 16: Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros
• April 23: New York Mets vs. San Francisco Giants
• April 30: Philadelphia Phillies vs. Houston Astros
• May 28: Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves
• June 4: New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
• June 18: New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox
• Aug. 20: MLB Little League Classic - Philadelphia Phillies vs. Washington Nationals

ESPN is the sister network of ABC13.