Nick Nurse does Craig Kimbrel impersonation, soaks in Phillies’ vibes

The vibes at Citizens Bank Park are bordering on an all-time high as the Phillies closed their homestand against the Angels.

For Sixers fans, you have to hope new head coach Nick Nurse can bring some of those vibes to his new gig after throwing out the first pitch Wednesday afternoon.

For the pitch, Nurse went with closer Craig Kimbrel’s patented setup. Throwing off the rubber, Nurse delivered a solid pitch, showing off the athleticism that once led to him being the most accurate three-point shooter in the University of Northern Iowa’s history.

Ahead of the game, Nurse joined Gregg Murphy for the Phillies pregame show on WIP. He also was in the broadcast booth with Tom McCarthy and John Kruk ... during a six-pitch half inning.

Blame Bryce Harper for being an absolutely terrific athlete.

He went on to explain that he did the Kimbrel impersonation because of a past experience at a Cubs game. Nurse, who grew up in Iowa and was a fan of the Cubs, had the opportunity to throw out the first pitch at Wrigley Field. Friends urged him to do the Kimbrel hunch (the All-Star closer was a Cub at the time), but Nurse did not oblige. This time, he nailed it.

It’s a bummer we didn’t get to hear Kruk ask Nurse about James Harden or his favorite player Tyrese Maxey (if you didn’t know, Krukkie is a legit Sixers fan), but it seemed like Nurse enjoyed the experience. Of course, everyone at Phillies games has been enjoying themselves recently.

During his time talking to Murphy and the broadcasting crew, the biggest thing he talked about was how his top priority was to meet with every player on the roster. Nurse told Murphy he was able to accomplish that over the course of 10-12 days, having lunch with everyone on the team.

He also reiterated one of his main talking points from his introductory presser: he doesn’t think the Sixers are that far off.

Well, we’ll see what the team actually looks like when training camp opens on Oct. 3.

Until then, here’s hoping Nurse soaked up Rob Thomson and the Phillies’ immaculate vibes.