Wife-swapping pitcher Peterson dead at 82
Ex-Yankees pitcher Fritz Peterson, a winner of 109 games for the Bronx Bombers and a 1970 All-Star, has died.
He was 82 years old.
“The Yankees are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Fritz Peterson, who was a formidable pitcher and affable presence throughout his nine years in pinstripes. Along with longtime teammate Mel Stottlemyre, Peterson was part of a devastating one-two combination at the top of the Yankees’ rotation,” the Yankees said in a statement. “A known prankster and well-liked among his teammates and coaches, Peterson had an outgoing personality and inquisitive nature that brought lightheartedness to the clubhouse on a regular basis and belied his prowess on the mound — most notably his impeccable control, which was among the best in the Majors.”
Peterson, who overcame prostate cancer and revealed to The Post in 2018 that he was battling Alzheimer’s disease, was perhaps more famous for his off-field life, which included swapping wives and families with teammate Mike Kekich in a story straight out of the ’70s.
The trade happened 51 years ago in March, approximately a year after Peterson and his wife Marilyn, along with Kekich and his wife, Susanne, attended a party at the home of longtime Post writer Maury Allen on July 15, 1972.
“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,’ ” he 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.’’
On March 4, 1973, the ballplayers held separate press conferences to announce they had swapped wives, kids and even their dogs — a tale the likes of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck once hoped to turn into a movie.
“Actually, it was a husband trade — Mike for me or me for Mike,” Peterson said. “It’s a love story. It wasn’t anything dirty.”
Peterson and Susanne were married in 1974; his teammate and ex-wife never wed and broke up soon after.
“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.
The southpaw was traded to Cleveland ahead of the 1974 season, ending his tenure in pinstripes after nine seasons, going 109-106 with a 3.10 ERA — and an original Yankee Stadium-record 2.52 ERA in home games.
He last pitched for the Rangers in the 1976 season, accumulating a 133-131 record with a 3.30 ERA and seven seasons of 12-plus wins.
He went on to write three books: “Mickey Mantle Is Going to Heaven,” in 2009, “When the Yankees Were on the Fritz: Revisiting the Horace Clarke Era,” in 2014 and 2012’s “The Art of De-Conditioning: Eating Your Way to Heaven.”