One half of the New York Yankees’ most bizarre trade ever is dead.
Fritz Peterson, who exchanged wives and children with teammate Mike Kekich, died Thursday at the age of 82.
As the New York Post Note, the families were hanging out at former baseball writer Maury Allen’s house on July 15, 1972. Apparently, that’s when the teammates started falling for each other’s wives.
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Fritz Peterson pitched for the New York Yankees from 1966 to 1974. (Focus on sport/Getty Images)
“We did it and we had so much fun together, Susanne and I, Mike and Marilyn, that we decided, ‘Hey, this is fun, let’s do it again,'” Peterson said. told the Palm Beach Post in 2013. “We did it the next night. We went to Steak and Ale in Fort Lee. Mike and Marilyn left early and Susanne and I stayed, had a few drinks and ate.
“It was really fun to be able to talk to someone. We all felt the same way. We kept going from there and eventually he fell in love with my wife and I fell in love with his.”
During spring training in 1973, Peterson and Kekich agreed to officially swap families. Peterson joked that it was actually a husband-for-husband swap.
Peterson stayed with his new wife for the rest of his life, while Kekich and the old Mrs. Peterson didn’t last very long.
New York Yankees pitcher Fritz Peterson throws during a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore circa 1972. (Focus on sport/Getty Images)
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“That’s the only thing I feel bad about, that they didn’t work out because we all thought everything would work out,” Peterson said.
Shortly after the trade, Kekich was traded to Cleveland. The Yankees also sent Peterson there the following year, but Kekich played in Japan during that season.
Peterson spent 11 seasons in the big leagues, including nine with New York. Although he is best known for this trade, he had actually been a premier starting pitcher while wearing the pinstripes.
Every year from 1968 to 1972, Peterson led the American League in walks per nine innings, while leading the majors three times. He also had the AL’s best WHIP and K/BB in 1969 and 1970. During those years, he achieved a 2.88 ERA, the 12th best ERA over that span.
Fritz Peterson of the New York Yankees pitches during a game at Yankee Stadium in New York circa 1968. (Focus on sport/Getty Images)
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The left-hander went 133-131 with a career ERA of 3.30, retiring after a brief stint with the Texas Rangers in 1976. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2018.
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