Rangers History Today: David Clyde's MLB Debut

He was supposed to be the player that would be Texas' first ace, and on this day in 1973, he debuted to incredible fanfare

On this date in Texas Rangers history, rookie pitcher David Clyde made his debut at Arlington Stadium.

Clyde, who was selected No. 1 overall by the Texas Rangers on June 5, 1973, out of Houston’s Westchester High School, ended up in Arlington just 20 days after graduating from high school. The buzz around Clyde’s first start was palpable as he faced the Minnesota Twins. Clyde threw five innings, striking out eight and gave up just one hit in a 4-3 victory. Clyde started the game by walking the first two Twins, and then striking out the next three. It was also the first sellout in Rangers history.

Unfortunately, that might have been Clyde’s high-water mark with the Rangers. More a move designed to sell tickets than to fully develop Clyde as a pitcher, he threw three largely forgettable years with the Rangers. After two years out of the Majors, he threw two more seasons for the Cleveland Indians. By 1979, Clyde was out of baseball with a career record of 18-33 with a 4.63 earned run average.

He became a cautionary tale for moving high school pitchers directly to the Major Leagues.

Also on this date …

June 27, 1977: The Rangers hired Billy Hunter as manager. He was the Rangers’ four manager in a week, but at least he lasted the rest of the season. Oddly enough, former Twins legend Harmon Killebrew reportedly turned down the job.

June 27, 1987: Mike Stanley became the first player wearing a Rangers uniform to hit a pinch-hit, grand-slam home run.

June 27, 2010: Josh Hamilton hit a 485-foot home run at the Ballpark in Arlington. At the time it was the longest home run hit in the park.

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