Nick Nurse to throw out ceremonial first pitch at Wednesday’s Phillies game

While the Philadelphia 76ers aren’t exactly in the warmest of embraces with the city’s fanbase at the moment, their cross-street colleagues are surging at the right time. Currently, the Philadelphia Phillies have the fourth-best record in the National League at 72-58, holding the first Wild Card spot with a three-game cushion over the Chicago Cubs, and five games clear of San Francisco to miss the playoffs altogether.

Perhaps hoping to have some of those good vibes spread across Pattison Avenue, new Sixers head coach Nick Nurse will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch prior to Wednesday’s 1:05pm ET Phillies game against the Los Angeles Angels.

It has been a mixed bag in recent years for what a member of the Sixers throwing out a first pitch will portend. Tyrese Maxey did the deed two years ago and the city has embraced him as a lost-long son.

Franchise legend Allen Iverson threw out the first pitch in 2019...

...leading to this iconic image.

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

On the flip side, a Phillies first pitch doesn’t always mean the player will be a beloved Sixers for years to come. Just ask Jahlil Okafor...

...or Markelle Fultz.

Hopefully, Nurse gets a warm ovation on Wednesday from the Philly faithful. It’s not his fault that all of the mess with the roster is currently happening, and I think under more normal circumstances people would be expressing a lot more excitement about the hire.

On Wednesday, Nurse should get another firsthand look at how this city gets behind one of its clubs. Fire it down the middle, Nick.