Baseball’s Swingtown
During Spring Training in 1973, Yankees’ left-handers (go figure) Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich announced that they had traded their hot baseball wives.
Peterson was one of the best control pitchers of all time. He led the American League in strikeout to walk ratio in 1969 and 1970. In ’70, Peterson was 20-11 and named to the all-star team. Peterson’s 2.52 ERA is the lowest in the history of Yankee Stadium for a starting pitcher. With the Yankees moving to a new Yankee stadium in 2009, that’s a mark that will live forever.
Peterson and Kekich were the best of friends since becoming Yankee teammates. They both lived in Tenafly, New Jersey which is just south of the George Washington Bridge. In 1972, in an era known for swingers dating (recalled by this summer’s TV debut of Swingtown on CBS), the two southpaws began experimenting with more than just their repertoire of pitches.
Wife Swap
“We didn’t trade wives, we traded lives,” said Kekich. No doubt. The two players moved into the other’s homes and essentially took on the kids and the dogs of their best friend’s.
In Cincinnati or Milwaukee, this was big news, but in New York in the era of the swinger, it simply wasn’t that big of a deal. “We may have to cancel family day,” cracked Lee MacPhail, general manager of the Yankees.
Fantasy Baseball Effects of Peterson-Kekich Trade
Peterson was routinely booed on the road after the trade and Kekich never did find the stuff he had early in his career. In fact, Kekich was 2-5, 7.48, after the announcement of the wife-swap.
“My whole career went into a black hole,” said Kekich.
Personals
Peterson ended up with a 133-131 career mark. He also ended up with a life partner. Fritz and Susanne Kekich are still married and have had four children together. Ironically, Peterson is now an evangelist.
Kekich got the short end of the trade. His relationship with Marilyn Peterson soured along with his pitching ability and they never did get married and were not together just two years later.
December 27th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
You need t correct you logo. The baseball is wrong. The seams on a baseball do not go in the same direction as you have, but they go in opposite directions…. Take a look for yourself.
Mooberry
December 29th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Moobery: I don’t need to check it out. You are absolutely correct and I never noticed that before. Thanks for pointing that out to us and thanks for reading Fantasy Baseball Dugout.
I guess we were too busy looking at the pictures of Baseball’s Hottest Wives and didn’t notice the seams. Times are tough financially for everybody. I guess we now have a reason to ask the artist for our money back!
December 30th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
They were planning on making a movie about Fritz and the wife swapping using Aflack and Dammon, but it has been put on the back burner. Fritz Peterson was a dealer at the Grand Victoria CAsion in Elgin, Illinois during the time and asked for a leave of absence to go out to LA and consult on the movie, but the casino would not grant it, so he gave up dealing blackjack. Fritz is one of the nices guys that you will ever meet. He is down to earth and very friendly, not like a lot of the major league players of today.
Mooberry
September 17th, 2011 at 12:25 am
I wonder how many men have actually considered doing this but don't for fear of the same sort of rejection for such thinking?? I guess it's best the man just lead a secret, sort of, life where his wife and kids are always a room away from him fulfilling his disgusting fantasies with some classless paid broad. That's something sure enough to be proud of
September 17th, 2011 at 12:47 am
Glad I have a man who truly loves the game of baseball and could never desecrate the sport with such filth such as being involved in such trash and sickness
February 27th, 2012 at 2:19 pm
classic example that all glitter aint gold……