Texas Rangers Don’t Have A ‘Pride Night,’ But They Do Have A ‘Faith Day’
Outfielder Brandon Nimmo, far left, speaks at the Texas Rangers’ Faith and Family Day at Globe Life Field. Other players pictured, from left, are Cody Bradford, Jalen Beeks, Jacob Latz, Evan Carter, Cody Freeman, Josh Jung and Wyatt Langford. (Photo courtesy of the Texas Rangers)
ARLINGTON, Texas — Minutes after a 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins on a recent Thursday, Texas Rangers players streamed out of the first-base dugout at Globe Life Field.
Casually attired in blue Rangers T-shirts and shorts, they strolled across the green outfield turf toward the right-center field bullpen. In the area normally reserved for relief pitchers to warm up, the teammates huddled together, bowed their heads and prayed.
Most of the 30,606 fans who paid to see that afternoon’s game had already left the ballpark. But hundreds — perhaps 1,000 to 1,500 in all — stayed to hear their Major League Baseball heroes talk about faith in Jesus.
READ: A Pitch To Follow Jesus: Baseball Fans Embrace Players’ Faith Testimonies
“I came over here from New York and am really, really glad to be here in Texas, where we have Faith Night,” outfielder Brandon Nimmo, one of eight Rangers players who spoke, told the crowd. “So you guys are really fortunate, first and foremost, to live where this is appreciated and this is a big deal.
“Because in our country,” the 33-year-old slugger added, “there’s a lot of places where this is not appreciated, where this is not a big deal.”
Nimmo, a New York Mets fan favorite traded to Texas this past offseason, alluded to Christ’s claim that he came to Earth to save the world from its sins.
“Honestly, if what Jesus said is true, then this is the most important thing in life,” Nimmo said. “It is one or the other, right? It’s either worth nothing or it’s worth everything. And I believe with all of my heart that it’s worth everything.”
Along with Nimmo, infielders Josh Jung and Cody Freeman, outfielders Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford and pitchers Jalen Beeks, Cody Bradford and Jacob Latz grabbed seats in tall chairs facing fans who filled two lower-level outfield sections.
Rangers’ wives and children also mingled under the bright lights, along with about a dozen players and coaches who did not take the microphone.
Those joining the gathering included Texas manager Skip Schumaker, who has an arm tattoo featuring a Christian cross, and infielder Ezequiel Duran, who displays a Scripture reference on an undershirt he often wears with his jersey.
Baseball life can be tough, Langford told fans.
“There’s a lot of failure that comes with it,” said the 24-year-old, his face flashed on the stadium’s big screens as he talked. “It’s a lot of fun, but it can get pretty lonely at times.”
But relying on teammates who “are a group of brothers” really helps, added the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft.
“Just being able to share our faith with each other and keep each other accountable, not just to win the game but to come out and be good examples for all the kids that are out watching us,” Langford explained. “We just go out there and have fun and play for Jesus Christ.”
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‘Culture war’ flashpoint
This was not the Rangers’ first Faith and Family Day.
Just last September, a half-dozen players and a coach offered Christian testimonies at a similar postgame event in the team’s Lexus Club.
But for multiple reasons, the latest one became a culture war flashpoint — stirring debate on social media and sparking comments by everyone from the governor of Texas to the Catholic bishop of Fort Worth.
One reason: Texas — the only one of MLB’s 30 franchises without a Pride Day — scheduled the 2026 faith event during June, coinciding with LGBTQ Pride Month.
Organizers typically seek a date when the Rangers play in the afternoon, but don’t have a getaway flight afterward. The June date marked the first such availability after the school year ended.
Whether the timing was coincidental or not, the message quickly spread online that the organization had decided to hold Faith and Family Day instead of Pride Day.
Another reason: The Rangers’ event came on the heels of MLB warning three San Francisco Giants players who wrote Bible verses on their caps for the team’s Pride Night.
“I’m grateful for the decision of the @Rangers to steer clear of this ideology,” Bishop Michael Olson, whose diocese encompasses Arlington, said on X.
In his own social media post, Gov. Greg Abbott wrote: “The Texas Rangers are the only team in Major League Baseball that doesn't host a Pride Night. This week, they're hosting Faith and Family Night instead. Meanwhile, MLB just warned Giants pitchers for writing Bible verses on their own caps. In Texas, we don't punish people for living out their faith. We protect that right.”
Jordan Felix, a former California resident who still cheers for the Los Angeles Angels, said he heard via social media that the Rangers were “countering all of the pride stuff that had been floating around.”
“I think it’s a good way to express that freedom of religion that we have,” said Felix, who now lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and attended the event with his wife, Katie. “Really, being a true follower of Christ is such a minority now … That’s the weird thing to stand out and stand for those kind of values, so I really appreciated that they wanted to have something like this to really honor the Lord.”
The Rangers — owned by conservative billionaire Ray Davis, a major donor to Abbott and President Donald Trump — have remained mostly quiet about the organization’s lack of a Pride Day, despite concerns voiced by LGBTQ+ advocates.
In a 2024 statement to The Associated Press, the team cited its work to “create a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive environment for fans and employees.”
“Our longstanding commitment remains the same: To make everyone feel welcome and included in Rangers baseball — in our ballpark, at every game, and in all we do — for both our fans and our employees,” the statement said. “We deliver on that promise across our many programs to have a positive impact across our entire community.”
‘Faith Nights’ not uncommon
While alone in eschewing Pride Day, the Rangers are not as unique as Nimmo’s statement might have indicated in hosting Faith and Family Day.
As Religion Unplugged has reported, most MLB franchises have organized special faith nights in recent years — and a majority will do so again this season.
Upcoming ticket promotions include Christian Day at the Ballpark in St. Louis this Saturday, Christian Faith Night in Baltimore on July 9 and Faith and Family Day in Seattle on Aug. 1.
Home Plate Detroit, which traces its roots back to 1987, is a typical example, mixing Christian testimonies by players with prayer and praise music. The Tigers’ 2026 event was June 6.
Fans pray last year during Home Plate Detroit, an annual Christian outreach event at Comerica Park. (Photo by Bobby Ross Jr.)
Occasionally, such undertakings emerge as the result of controversy and gain widespread attention. That was the case in 2023 when the Los Angeles Dodgers organized Christian Faith and Family Day after honoring the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence — a group that satirizes sacred Catholic rituals — during its Pride Night game.
But mostly, these special events — typically geared toward evangelical Christians but sometimes groups such as Catholics, Muslims or Orthodox believers — serve niche audiences and receive little notice outside of churches or faith-based radio.
Here in Texas, Bradford talked to Religion Unplugged last season about the players’ motivation for participating in Faith and Family Day.
“God has given us this platform. He has given us the abilities to play baseball at a high level,” said the 28-year-old pitcher, who has battled injuries after winning the World Series with the Rangers in 2023. “And I think there is a responsibility that comes with that not to put the glory on ourselves.
“And I think a faith day is a way … to let fans maybe peel back the layers of baseball a little bit and have them see us more as people, which we all are,” he added. “I think it’s a cool time to encourage people through our own stories and our own journeys.”
Fans listen to player testimonies during the Texas Rangers’ Faith and Family Day. (Photo courtesy of the Texas Rangers)
‘No different than you guys’
Rangers team chaplain Mason Randall welcomed fans to last week’s Faith and Family Day.
Last year’s event required a special postgame ticket, but the team opened the latest one to anyone at the game.
Randall invited Carter, who famously wore a “Jesus Won” T-shirt to batting practice when he reached the big leagues in 2023, to lead an opening prayer.
“God, thank you for this opportunity to gather here today,” the 23-year-old outfielder prayed. “We’re grateful for the space that you’ve given us and the chance to share this time with everyone here. I pray that our words would honor you, encourage others and point people toward your love.
“Open our hearts to hear what you want us to hear today, God,” he added, “and may everything said and done bring glory and honor to your name. Amen.”
Evan Carter sports a “Jesus Won” T-shirt during a pregame interview before his MLB debut in September 2023. (Photo courtesy of the Texas Rangers)
Afterward, players devoted nearly an hour to discussing how they strive to follow Jesus even when they fall short of perfection — on the baseball field and in life itself.
“We are no different than you guys,” Nimmo told fans, indicating that every Christian has experiences to share about their faith journey.
“The most important story happened, and that was Jesus coming, dying and rising again for our sins, so that we can have a relationship with the Father,” the 11-season MLB veteran said. “But do not think that because you are in those stands that your story is less important than mine.”
Charles and Allyson Mather, Rangers fans from Fort Worth, brought their school-age sons, C.J. and Jeremy, to hear the players.
“I wanted my boys to see how some of the people they look up to carry their faith into that part of their lives,” Allyson Mather said, “like that it’s not just something that we do as a family on Sundays because we have to, but this is something that is going to guide them no matter what.”
Before leaving the ballpark, the mother asked C.J. what he found coolest.
“The fact that all these top stars like Brandon Nimmo, Wyatt Langford, all the big guys — they’re able to be this good and still find room for God,” the 14-year-old replied. “I think that God blesses them with their talents.”
Bobby Ross Jr. writes the Weekend Plug-in column for Religion Unplugged and serves as editor-in-chief of The Christian Chronicle. A former religion writer for The Associated Press and The Oklahoman, Ross has reported from all 50 states and 20 nations. He has covered religion since 1999.