# Two Yankees swapped wives 44 years ago. Still married?



## Truthseeker1 (Jul 17, 2013)

Can you imagine swapping your entire family? I do find this quote precious: 

*"He said he’d rather get “the truth” out and do his best to dismiss the common notion that the two families had done something sordid.

“It’s a love story,” he said. “It wasn’t anything dirty.”"*

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Two New York Yankees swapped wives 44 years ago. Still married?

Joe Capozzi Palm Beach Post Staff Writer 

One of baseball’s biggest blockbuster trades was announced to the world 44 years ago this month at old Fort Lauderdale Stadium — and it involved more than just players.

Fritz Peterson and his close friend, fellow New York Yankees pitcher Mike Kekich, had swapped wives — and children and dogs.

“Actually, it was a husband trade — Mike for me or me for Mike,” Peterson recalled with a laugh in an interview in 2013.

Although it became public in March 1973, the swap actually occurred in the summer of ‘72.

“It just happened. It wasn’t planned,” said Peterson, who won 109 games for the Yankees and pitched in the 1970 All-Star Game.

Peterson said at the time that he preferred to not talk about it. But if people ask, as they often have for the last 44 years, he doesn’t mind answering.

He said he’d rather get “the truth” out and do his best to dismiss the common notion that the two families had done something sordid.

“It’s a love story,” he said. “It wasn’t anything dirty.”

Peterson has been married to Susanne Kekich since 1974.

“I could not be happier with anybody in the world. ‘Mama’ and I go out and party every night,” he said. “We’re still on the honeymoon, and it has been a real blessing.”

Kekich and Marilyn Peterson moved in together in 1972, but they split up a few years later without getting married.

“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.

A fateful evening

The families both lived in New Jersey and had been friends since 1969.

“We were invited to a party at Maury Allen’s house on a Saturday night, July the 15th, 1972,” Peterson said.

“During the party, we all had a couple of beers and were having a great time. When we were deciding to leave, we had driven two different cars and happened to park behind each other out in the street. I said to my wife, Marilyn, ‘Why don’t you ride with Mike to the diner in Fort Lee, N.J., and I’ll take Susanne with me and we’ll meet there and then we’ll go home from there?’

“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.’ 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.”

Former outfielder Ron Swoboda, who played his final three seasons with the Yankees from ‘71-‘73, said he attended the same party.

“My first reaction? I had a solid marriage so I was like, ‘OK. That wouldn’t likely happen to me.’ It probably wouldn’t happen to a lot of people. But remember, that was the ’70s, not that far from the ’60s,” Swoboda said.

Couples drifted apart

Peterson had his best season in 1972, going 17-15 with a 3.24 ERA. Kekich went 10-13 with a 3.70 ERA.

Both players were so happy with their new lives off the field that they decided after the season to make their unusual arrangement permanent.

“When we did it, we figured the kids should stay with their mothers,” Peterson said. “Susanne flew back from California with her two daughters and my wife flew out to California to meet Mike’s family with our two sons, and that was it.”

Peterson said he didn’t think it would be that big of a story. But the day after the announcement, “I saw my picture on TV when I woke up,” he said. “And I said, ‘Uh-oh, it’s a big one.’ “

Kekich was traded to Cleveland that June. Peterson was traded to Cleveland a year later and pitched only three more seasons.

Peterson said he hasn’t spoken to Kekich in 10 years.

“We just went our own ways,” he said. “I don’t have anything against him and I don’t think he has anything against me.”


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## bandit.45 (Feb 8, 2012)

Heartwarming.


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## happy as a clam (Jan 5, 2014)

Strange.


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## Married but Happy (Aug 13, 2013)

It must get complicated when they do their taxes. Married filing separately? Dependent deductions? Hmm.


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## Truthseeker1 (Jul 17, 2013)

bandit.45 said:


> Heartwarming.





happy as a clam said:


> Strange.





Married but Happy said:


> It must get complicated when they do their taxes. Married filing separately? Dependent deductions? Hmm.


Yea not your typical love story huh? Imagine the effect this had on their kids...there is some serious selfishness with those 4...


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## ConanHub (Aug 9, 2013)

Pretty bizarre. I actually am resisting the urge to comment further...


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## Truthseeker1 (Jul 17, 2013)

ConanHub said:


> Pretty bizarre. I actually am resisting the urge to comment further...


Hey Conan, good to see you hope you have been well! What is annoying is how he talks like it is some great love story - it in fact is dirty and sordid and there were 4 kids involved...he does not seem to have any shame...


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## ConanHub (Aug 9, 2013)

Truthseeker1 said:


> Hey Conan, good to see you hope you have been well! What is annoying is how he talks like it is some great love story - it in fact is dirty and sordid and there were 4 kids involved...he does not seem to have any shame...


Swapping the kids bothers me the most.

I know they probably kept visits but the mental /emotional impact on them makes me shudder.


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## Truthseeker1 (Jul 17, 2013)

ConanHub said:


> Swapping the kids bothers me the most.
> 
> I know they probably kept visits but the mental /emotional impact on them makes me shudder.


Yup thats my point...WTF is wrong wiht these people? And the lack of shame...astounding....


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## Married but Happy (Aug 13, 2013)

Truthseeker1 said:


> Yea not your typical love story huh? Imagine the effect this had on their kids...there is some serious selfishness with those 4...


Not necessarily. Perhaps everyone was happy with the situation, even the kids. Bottom line, it wouldn't be any different, really, if they'd divorced and remarried - they just skipped the formalities.

As strange as the situation is, I actually know two couples who traded wives, and they share houses, go on vacations together, etc. - just never formally did anything about it because of tax and inheritance concerns. Each new couple is far better matched to each other than their original spouse.


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## ConanHub (Aug 9, 2013)

Married but Happy said:


> Not necessarily. Perhaps everyone was happy with the situation, even the kids. Bottom line, it wouldn't be any different, really, if they'd divorced and remarried - they just skipped the formalities.
> 
> As strange as the situation is, I actually know two couples who traded wives, and they share houses, go on vacations together, etc. - just never formally did anything about it because of tax and inheritance concerns. Each new couple is far better matched to each other than their original spouse.


I thought along these exact same lines but I am just too damn lazy this morning to post it.

Not that I condone it but wouldn't a poly or sharing situation work better than just deciding to take over each others' families one day?

It obviously wasn't a good fit for one pair. Don't think the children enjoyed the instability.

They should have shared but not gone the course they did.


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