- David Clyde, August 2003, to Baseball Digest. 4 Jeff Merron, The Riseand Fall of a Phenom, ESPN.com, May 30, 2003, http://a.espncdn.com/mlb/s/2003/0529/1560431.html, accessed December 22, 2022. What a time I had, he said in 1981. I have to thank the Julians, the Hollywood producers who hope to make a movie about me.''. The top pick in the 1973 June amateur draft belonged to the Texas Rangers, a distinction earned from owning the major-leagues worst record (54-100) in 1972. August 1973 - Present. The Rangers drew 686,085 for their 81 home games that year, 32 percent of them showing up for the 12 starts by Clyde, which accounted for 14.8 percent of the home schedule. Id take $500 and go to Aqueduct in New York and come back with just enough for a cab.32 He finished the season 3-9 with a 4.38 ERA in 28 games (21 starts). All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. . statistics (plate appearances & times on bases) not found Several months earlier, Clyde had been busy worrying about prom night or helping Westchester High School win a state championship. And now, 40 years later, he is back in the Houston area, living with his 85-year-old father, who he serves as a caregiver, and serving as the pitching coordinator for the Christian-based Houston Miracles, which has five elite-level teams. [4][5] Clyde later called it his most memorable game in his Major League career. [13] In a 2003 interview with The New York Times, Herzog criticized Bob Short, stating that "(Short) sure wasn't going to send him down without getting some people in the ballpark to see him. In addition to a son (Ryan) from his second marriage, Clyde had two children (Reed and Lauren) from his third marriage to the former Robin McCauley, a union which ultimately ended in divorce. Forty years ago Thursday, Clyde made the jump from pitching for Westchester High School in Houston to pitching in the big leagues, starting for the Texas Rangers against the Minnesota Twins just 19 days after receiving his high-school diploma. Clyde grew up idolizing Sandy Koufax and played baseball from an early age, honing his skills throwing to Gene, a former semipro player. He is noted for his once promising baseball career, which ended at age 26 because of arm and shoulder injuries. It's also available for football, basketball and hockey. 2 Clyde is one of four players to jump from high school to the major leagues since the amateur draft was instituted in 1965. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Wednesday, March 1, 11:02PM. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. He was traded to the Cleveland Indians in 1978, and played two seasons before being demoted. "It might have been different if that hadn't happened," said Nelson. According to my calculations, on the extra gate receipts alone, in two starts Ill make back David Clydes entire goddamn signing bonus, remarked Short.18 Clyde breezed through the first four innings while striking out five and facing the minimum. Twenty days after pitching in the state finals . There are a lot of guys in the American League with a fastball much better than mine, but I dont care who you areif you cant get the off-speed pitches over, all they have to do is lay back and wait for the fastball, and eventually theyll bomb you, said Clyde after a loss to the Orioles on August 27.24. Many thanks to him. He had been billed as the second coming of Sandy Koufax and signed for an $125,000 bonus and a free college education. If you find this type of "free" data useful please consider Short was delighted. David injured his shoulder, spending much of the season when he was not hurt back in the minors trying to find some semblance of what made him great in high school. A Virginia high school girls' basketball coach is under investigation after an altercation with a spectator during a game last week. "It was the dumbest thing you could ever do," he said. Skipping development in the minor leagues was likely detrimental to Clyde, who experienced flashes of success but never achieved consistency in the majors. 20 Clif Keane, Sox Best Crafty Clyde, Boston Globe, July 13, 1973: 53. Unfortunately, Clyde's career did not progress as most thought it would. ", "Well, Billy liked older, veteran players," said Pete Mackanin, who was called to the big leagues the day of Clyde's debut and was assigned to be his roommate. [10] Clyde also finished fourth in the American League with 11 wild pitches. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive David Clyde baseball stats page. On top of his physical maladies and poor pitching, Clyde divorced his second wife, Patty. But Rangers brass felt otherwise. 1 overall by the Texas Rangers on June 5, 1973, out of. The Rangers planned to have Clyde pitch his first two professional games in the major leagues before moving him down to the minor leagues,[1] but Rangers owner Bob Short decided to keep him in the roster for monetary purposes, where he had a 5.01 earned run average in 18 starts. As of 2023, Clyde was retired but still coaching young pitchers, and still lived in Texas. While a student at Houston's Westchester High School, the left-handed Clyde pitched five no-hitters, including two perfect games. . It was not until 2011 that MLB agreed to provide an annual stipendpaid for by the leagues competitive balance taxto players whose career ended before 1980 and fell short of the four-year mark. Phone: 602.496.1460 34 David Clydes Future Very Much in Question.. He is noted for his once promising baseball career, which ended at age 26 because of arm and shoulder injuries. You have to train hard and work at it. [3], Prior to the draft, the Texas Rangers held the second lowest attendance in the American League, ahead of only the Cleveland Indians despite having Baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams as manager at one point. Join our linker program. ''When I see my kids on the Miracles slowing down their pitches to get control,'' he said, ''I tell them: 'Do you think Nolan Ryan learned to throw strikes at 100 miles an hour by practicing throwing at 70 m.p.h.? 1 overall choice in the 1973 draft, he was an instant idol when he joined the Rangers for a $65,000 bonus that was big money then. "They were trying to get enthusiasm," said Davey Nelson, the starting second baseman for the Rangers in Clyde's debut. 1 Gene Wojciechowski, From Baseball to Tomball, Los Angeles Times, September 9, 1986: 27. He threw out the first ball to Ken Suarez, his catcher that night 30 years ago, when he was the kid left-hander who couldn't miss. As a freshman, he was already the best pitcher on the varsity team. Clyde struggled with his command, resulting in a move to the bullpen as the season wore on. [8] He was traded back to the Rangers after the 1979 season, but injured his shoulder for the second time, and was released prior to the 1980 season with the Rangers claiming that Clyde was "damaged goods". David Clyde weighed 180 lbs (81 kg) when playing. I thought it was just tight.37 The problem was a pinched nerve near the left shoulder blade for which Clyde received a cortisone injection and was prescribed 2 weeks of rest.38 He returned to the mound with the Triple-A Sacramento Solons of the Pacific Coast League but the zip on his fastball had vanished. Where what happened yesterday is being preserved today. Clyde then toiled for guilas del Zulia, a Maracaibo-based club in the Venezuelan winter league, where he won only one of his five decisions while posting a 5.50 ERA.33 After filing for divorce from Cheryl that winter, he required a tonsillectomy as he was set to depart for spring training in Florida. Jobe told him the chances of ever throwing again were 50-50.39. [3], Clyde began the 1974 season with a 30 record,[9] then became embroiled in controversy following a dispute between new manager Billy Martin and general manager Bobby Brown. We present them here for purely educational purposes. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Clyde High School 2022 Rankings. [11] Prior to Clyde's debut, the highest crowd in Rangers history was 24,000. On June 27, 1973, Clyde made his highly anticipated major-league debut versus the Minnesota Twinsonly 20 days after he threw his last high school pitch. In 128 innings, he walked 119 and struck out 90. Part of the deal was that Short, knowing Clyde would sell tickets, wanted him to make two big-league starts before going to the minors. .avia-section.av-k6v62xgq-c0812a68936ee67ed4883eaa9d35be9b{ Amazingly, Clyde's name still appears nine times (from 14 originally) in the National High School Sports Record Book published by the NFHS " 36 years after his high school career . Some defensive statistics Copyright Baseball Info Solutions, 2010-2022. [2], Clyde was praised by national publications such as Sports Illustrated and Newsweek prior to the 1973 MLB draft, and was the consensus among scouts as the best player available in the draft. I was presented with the opportunity to settle for 50 cents on the dollar or roll the dice. With more than $30,000 in medical bills to pay, Clyde decided to settle rather than risk going to arbitration and getting nothing.50 While recovering, he spent nine months working sales jobs and driving a beer truck in Houston with hopes of making a comeback the following season.51. Clyde attempted to make a comeback with the Houston Astros but was unsuccessful. Forty years ago Thursday, Clyde made the jump from pitching for Westchester High School in Houston to pitching in the big leagues, starting for the Texas Rangers against the Minnesota Twins just 19 days after receiving his high-school diploma. Retired as of 6/1/18. "Whitey was all about development. HE'S certainly the best-known former major league pitcher with an 18-33 career record. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. He never had the advantage of going to the minors and pitching against kids his own age. ''I'd have to say that David Clyde was one of the best young left-handed pitchers I've ever seen,'' Herzog said. He was the last pitcher 21-or-younger to strike out 8 or more in his debut until Jose Fernandez did so on April 7, 2013. The Rangers organization lost so much faith in Clyde's ability that he was left unprotected in the 1976 Major League Baseball expansion draft, but was not chosen. [2] When Clyde agreed to sign his rookie contract, part of the deal was to make his first two professional starts with the Rangers at their home field before heading to the minors to develop. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. 3137 Clyde Park Ave SW , Wyoming, MI 49509-2982 is a single-family home listed for-sale at $209,900. Special thanks to David Clyde for sharing his personal memories and clarifying facts in a January 2023 telephone interview. [2] He had two failed marriages, the first one with his high school sweetheart, before settling down with his third wife, Robin, having two boys, Ryan and Reed, and a daughter, Lauren. 35 Jim Sarni, Texas Clyde Faces a Minor Problem, Fort Lauderdale News, March 26, 1975: 53. Oracle; David Clyde page at the Bullpen Wiki; Statheads want to know. [2], Twenty days after pitching his last high school game, Clyde won his first ever Major League start before over 35,000 fans in Arlington Stadium, the first sellout in stadium history. 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