Former Yankees Pitcher Fritz Peterson, Who Once Traded Families With A Teammate, Passes Away At 82

I’m sure after reading that headline, you’ve got lots of questions.  "Was he even a good pitcher?" "Who is this guy?" "How in the world did he trade families?"

Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.

Fritz Peterson passed away at the age of 82 on Thursday, according to Northern Illinois University (his alma mater). At the time of the announcement, no cause of death was given (he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2017).

The left-hander played in the MLB for 11 years for the New York Yankees (1966-74), Cleveland Indians (1974-1976), and Texas Rangers (1976). While he finished with a career record barely above .500 (133-131), he did get an All-Star nod in 1970 after winning a career-high 20 games. He was known for his excellent control and was regularly in the Yankees rotation.

Briefly, that’s who he was and what he did in his MLB career. But that’s not what people will remember him for.

Fritz Peterson Once Swapped Families With His Teammate

In 1972, Peterson and teammate Mike Kekich went to a party at the house of former New York Post sports reporter Maury Allen. Apparently, the players began to fall in love with each other’s wives.

"We did that and we had so much fun together, Susanne and I and Mike and Marilyn, that we decided, ‘Hey, this is fun, let’s do it again,'" Peterson told the Palm Beach Post in 2013. "We did it the next night. We went out to the Steak and Ale in Fort Lee. Mike and Marilyn left early and Susanne and I stayed and had a few drinks and ate"

"It was just really fun being able to talk to somebody. All of us felt the same way. We went on from there and eventually he fell in love with my wife and I fell in love with his."

That's jacked up.

I’m not entirely why two conversations were enough to captivate each man. In 1973, they officially decided to swap families, as they each had kids. 

Peterson and the former Mrs. Kekich stayed married for the rest of their lives, but Kekich and the former Mrs. Peterson (this is getting confusing) didn’t last long at all.

"That’s the only thing I feel bad for, that they didn’t work out because we all figured it could all work out,’’ Peterson said.

Really? You don’t feel bad leaving your biological kids or ditching your first wife?

That is hands down the strangest - and most ridiculous - trade in MLB history.