Desert Sun, 27 June 1973 — High School Star Makes Debut [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

High School Star Makes Debut

ARLINGTON. Tex, (UPI) - Arlington Stadium, home of the Texas Rangers, holds 35,698 persons which on most occasions is about 30,000 more than necessary. But tonight “David Clyde Night” the tidy little ball park between Dallas and Fort Worth will be filled to capacity for the first time since the Washington Senators migrated. Clyde, the 18-year-old hard throwing left hander out of Spring Branch Westchester High School near Houston who was the first draft pick in the country, makes his debut tonight. It comes against the Min-

nesota Twins, and chances are many of those who file into the stadium tonight will not even know what club will be wearing the visiting uniforms. Clyde, who wound up his high school career with 55 1-3 scoreless innings and an earned run average of 0.18 during his senior year, has caught the imagination of local fans. All but 1,500 of the stadium’s seals had been sold on the eve of the game. Clyde even attracted the appearance of American League President Joe Cronin. “I can’t remember this much excitement over such a young player starting out since Bob Feller began with Cleveland,’’

said Cronin “Isn’t the reaction over this kid something? He will really have the eyes of Texas on him.” In an attempt to ease Clyde’s potential nervousness, Ranger manager Whitey Herzog sent Clyde out to home plate with the lineup card before Texas’ two games against Oakland Monday and Tuesday night. “A lot of people are looking forward to David pitching,” said Herzog, "1 am too. At least we will have a lot of people to come out and look at us." The biggest crowd the Rangers drew in their first year in Texas was 24,000, and that has not been exceeded this year even on opening night.

“I am already a little nervous,” said Clyde on the night before his first start. “But I have always pitched well in front of big crowds. Sometimes in high school we would have 7,(100 persons and that many people at a high school game can make a lot of noise,” Clyde threw 14 shutouts in compiling an 18-0 record during his senior year He struck out 328 in 148 1-3 innings and threw five no hitters and one perfect game. In four years of high school pitching, Clyde struck out 843 over 475 innings and had an earned run average of 0 65. His four-year record was 53-13, including nine no hitlers

DAVE CLYDE