The True Story Of Two Yankees Teammates Who Swapped Their Wives And Families

Swapping wives or families may not be a new concept if you're familiar with reality TV shows such as "Wife Swap" and "Trading Spouses." These shows conduct social experiments wherein members of two families take each other's places for a couple of weeks to experience how the other family lives. They gain new perspectives, learn to appreciate their own family, and have more insight into the traditions and rules of other families. The concept of swapping spouses and households may be a good temporary experience for some, but for two baseball players, the exchange was permanent, and it wasn't done for reality TV.

Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich were pitchers for the New York Yankees. In 1973, the two athletes called for a press conference and revealed that they had swapped wives and families, as reported by New York Magazine. The public was surprised; some speculated on the reasons behind the swap, while others were simply puzzled about the situation. It's regarded by ESPN as the sixth most shocking moment in baseball history, and it certainly is one of the most interesting trades anyone has ever heard of.

Eventually, Mike Kekich had a serious conversation with Fritz Peterson (pictured above) about his feelings toward his wife. Mike told his friend that he had fallen in love with Marilyn and that he no longer had romantic feelings toward his own wife Susanne. Fritz felt the same way toward Mike's wife, and so the couples decided to swap spouses. However, they had other factors to consider; both couples had two children each, and they discussed the best way to go about the situation. In an interview with The Palm Beach Post, Fritz revealed that they decided it was more favorable if the children stay with their mothers. So, instead of a wife swap, they actually did a husband swap.

For the two couples, the changes in their lives weren't a big deal. Everyone agreed to the arrangement, and the two men and two women were happy with who they ended up with. The sexual revolution in the U.S. began in the '60s, and wife swapping was not a new concept, especially after the introduction of contraceptives, as reported by Psychology Today. Being known personalities in the sports world, there were rumors going around about Mike and Fritz's relationships. It was easy for the public to assume the arrangement was lewd, but Fritz said that there was nothing "smutty" about it at all; they just fell in love with each other's wives. To clear the air, each Yankee player held a press conference to make the public understand their situation.

According to psychoanalyst Dr. Joyce Brothers, per New York Magazine, four-way swaps in romantic relationships are rarely successful. Mike Kekich and Marilyn had an on-and-off relationship after the swap, and they ultimately didn't make it. In fact, by the time he held a press conference in 1974, they had already broken off their relationship. On the other hand, the other couple had a more successful union.

Fritz and Susanne married in 1974, and in an interview with The Palm Beach Post in 2013, Fritz said that they were still happily married; they have three children together. He shared that they still go on dates and parties and are still in the honeymoon stage even decades after their marriage. "I could not be happier with anybody in the world," he said. Although he had no regrets over the life swap, he explained that the only thing he felt bad about was that Mike and Marilyn didn't stay together.