I'm with Dave.
Sweat the garlic along with a minced shallot or two in some evoo. Very gently. Meanwhile, get your pasta water going (with salt).
Add 1/2 c white wine to the pan (If desired, add a few Tbls of filtered bottled clam juice to the wine (I rarely bother). Put the pasta in the pasta pot.
Add a little thyme to the wine. Add the clams, well scrubbed and purged, cover and bring to a boil. Check in 7-8 min and remove those that are open to a plate. Recover, go 2-3 min more, and remove any open clams; reserve with the others (cover to keep warm); discard any unopened clams.
Add a little oregano to the wine and some white pepper. (Optional, but I do this: Add one finely diced plum tomato, seeded but unpeeled.) Bring to a bare simmer.
Drain the pasta, reserving 3/4 c of the cooking water. Toss the pasta with the sauce. Add half the reserved cooking water and 1 Tbls minced fresh parsley, toss, then add a couple Tbls of unsalted butter, toss well till melted (adding more cooking water if needed). Allow the pasta to absorb, about 1 min or two, taste for salt and add the clams. Let heat through, another min; serve, sprinkled with a bit more fresh parsley.
For a red I do exactly the same thing except that I add 2 cups diced tomatoes (you can used canned, drained) along with the wine at the beginning.