Gord Dyment – 1929

Often called the best pitcher in the history of baseball in Midland, for 12 years, from 1958 to 1969. Gord Dyment was the big righthander who drove the Midland Indians to six Ontario Baseball Association championships. Dyment led the Indians to victory in 1958, 1959, 1963, 1966, 1968, 1969 – and to another four appearances in the finals in 1960, 1961. 1962 and 1964. Despite throwing hard, he had phenomenal control, and legendary stamina. In the final game of the 1958 OBA championship against Simcoe, he pitched 10 innings, threw a two-hit shutout, struck out 17 with no walks, and won the game 1-0 for Midland, giving his team the Ontario title. In 1963 versus Tillsonburg. again in the first game of the OBA Intermediate A finals, Dyment came within two outs of a no-hitter, winning the game 8-0. Tillsonburg’s Sam Lamb spoiled the “no-no” in the ninth inning, the only hit Dyment allowed in the game. Gord fanned 13 batters and walked one. Then, in 1969, nearing 40 years old. Dyment recorded 12 strikeouts, including five in a row, and the side in the seventh inning, allowed one him on five hits, walked two, and won the game, 2-1. Showing he could bat as well as pitch. Dyment knocked in both of the Indians’ runs; giving Midland the OBA championship against Thorold. In the early 1970’s, Gord pitched for the senior Orillia Majors, where, well into his forties, he threw a no-hit game. In 1972, Orillia represented Ontario at the Canadian Senior Baseball Championships. held at Kenossee Lake, Saskatchewan. Gord’s pitching helped the Majors reach the championship final, where they lost to a club from Brandon, Manitoba. A native of Toronto. Dyment came to North Simcoe in the winter of 1951 to work as a policeman for the Canadian Pacific Railway, not knowing Midland even had a baseball club. Local sports organizers, however, had heard of him from his pitching in Toronto leagues and in the Philadelphia Phillies’ minor league organization in 1949- 50. By the spring of 1952. Gord’s first CPR assignment was in Port McNicoll, where Midland Indians executives asked him to try out. Herb Beauchamp of Midland, a bird-dog scout for the New York Giants, also – recommended Gord to the Giants. After working out for scouts Tony Ravish and Chick Genovese at Midland’s Town Park, they signed Dyment right there to a pro Class A contract. He honed his skills with the Giants from 1953-57, pitching for minor league clubs such as St. Cloud, (Minnesota). In 1955-56, Gord pitched for the Danville (Virginia) Giants of the Class B Carolina League. Among his teammates were future major leaguers Leon Wagner, Tony Taylor, Jose Pagan, and Hall of Famer Willie McCovey. With the Giants, Gord learned from Carl Hubbell, a legendary pitcher, who at the time was a roving instructor in the New York system, and later became the team’s farm system director. Hubbell was important to Dyment’s career, as were Giants coaches Andy Gilbert, Salty Parker and Charlie Fox. Playing in the Giants system, Gord worked on his mechanics, he learned how to field his position, and he honed his control. The Giants clocked Dyment’s four-seam fastball at 98 miles per hour; he also threw a two-seam, and four-seam curveball. He left pro baseball in 1957 and returned to Midland in 1958 to become a local baseball hero. With his wife. Barbara, they had five children. He retired in 1992 after 23 years at Ogilvie Flour Mills and lives on Russell Street in Midland. Today he plays slo-pitch softball for recreation in the Georgian Bay Super Seniors Slo-Pitch League.