"We didn't just swap wives, we swapped lives" - When 2 Yankees pitchers executed the wackiest trade in MLB history

New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman has been responsible for some of the biggest trades over the years, but even he couldn’t have envisioned a deal as wild as the one that went down in the early 1970s.

Former Yankees pitchers Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson became the centerpiece of media attention after the two decided to swap wives. The bizarre trade took place in the summer of 1972 before it was made public ahead of the 1973 season.

Both players lived in New Jersey with their families and were good friends. The Kekichs and the Patersons were invited to a party on a Saturday night. Both couples arrived separately, but on the way out, Peterson’s wife, Marilyn, left with Kekich and Kekich’s wife, Susanne got in a car with Peterson.

Both couples met at a diner after the party before heading home. They had so much fun that they decided to do it again the next night. Eventually, Peterson fell for Fritz's wife and Fritz fell for Peterson’s.

Fritz and Peterson were having so much fun with their newfound arrangement that they decided to make it permanent, thus officially swapping wives ahead of the 1973 campaign.

According to New York Magazine, Kekich was quoted as saying: "Don't say this was wife-swapping, because it wasn't. We didn't swap wives, we swapped lives."

The swap wasn't just limited to the two wives heading in opposite directions. Fritz and Peterson's children and family dogs were also involved in the bizarre trade.

Baseball Reference

@baseball_ref

On this day in 1973, New York Yankees pitchers Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson made a stunning declaration—the left-handers announced that they had traded wives, children, and family dogs.

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On this day in 1973, New York Yankees pitchers Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson made a stunning declaration—the left-handers announced that they had traded wives, children, and family dogs. 😳 https://t.co/757O7Z0mlH

Following their announcement, the story spread like rapid wildfire across newspapers, television and radio stations. Kekich was traded to the erstwhile Cleveland Indians that June. Fritz retired in 1976. The two families then went their separate ways.

Fritz and Susanne are still married, but Kekich and Marilyn’s romance fizzled out and they split.

Fritz Peterson had a much more successful career for the Yankees than Mike Kekich

Mike Kekich played for the Yankees between 1969 and 1973. He compiled an unimpressive 31-32 record with a 4.31 ERA.

Peterson, on the other hand, notched up better numbers. He was a starter for the Bronx Bombers between 1966 and 1974. He had a 109-106 record with a 3.10 ERA in 288 games. He went 20-11 in 1970 and made it to the All-Star Game.

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