What's the story behind Yankees Wife Swap of 1972? When the wildest trade in history scandalized baseball

The 1972 Yankees Wife Swap is one of the most scandalous events in the history of baseball. The story revolves around two New York Yankees players, Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich, who announced at the start of the 1973 season that they had traded wives and families. The news shocked the world of baseball and quickly became the talk of the town.

Peterson and Kekich were friends and had played for the Yankees for several years. During the 1972 season, the two players began spending more and more time together off the field. They soon discovered that they had a lot in common, including their love for family and their desire to do something unusual.

The players agreed to trade wives and families, and they did so before the start of the 1973 season. Peterson moved in with Kekich's wife, Susanne, and their two daughters, while Kekich moved in with Peterson's wife, Marilyn, and their two sons.

The two families lived together as one for a short period of time, but it quickly became apparent that the arrangement was not going to work. While Peterson had no trouble adjusting to his new family, the same could not be said of Kekich and the experiment quickly fell apart.

Peterson and Susanne are still married, but Kekich and Marilyn got divorced soon after. The "Yankees Wife Swap" scandalized the baseball world, and the two players were ridiculed and criticized for their actions.

The fallout was severe. Both players suffered from negative publicity, and their baseball careers were severely impacted.

Fritz Peterson was traded to the Cleveland Indians in 1973, and his career never recovered. Mike Kekich was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates that same year and he too struggled to find success and was out of baseball by 1977.

Fritz Peterson turned out to be the winner in the infamous Yankees Wife Swap

Following their controversial wife swap before the 1973 MLB season, the two pitchers had very different fortunes.

Fritz Peterson was a starter for the New York Yankees from 1966 to 1974 and 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.

In terms of personal life too, Peterson had a much more stable and happy life after his playing days and remains married to Susanne.

Kekich, on the other hand, played for the Yankees between 1969 and 1973, and compiled a 31-32 record with a 4.31 ERA.