Fritz Peterson
Encyclopedia
Fritz Fred Peterson is a former Major League Baseball
player who played for the New York Yankees
, Cleveland Indians
, and Texas Rangers
from 1966 to 1976. Peterson was a southpaw starting pitcher who enjoyed his best success in 1970 with the Yankees when he went 20-11 and pitched in the All-Star game.
. Whitey Ford was second with a 2.55 ERA. That honor is permanent since Yankee Stadium has been demolished. Peterson was the starting pitcher for the Yankees in the last game played at the original Yankee Stadium, which was completely renovated after the final game of the 1973 season, forcing them to play at Shea Stadium
during the 1974 and 1975 seasons.
In 1969 and 1970, Peterson had the best strikeout-to-walk ratios in the American League
. Peterson also led the league in fewest walks per 9 innings pitched 5 years in a row, 1968-1972. The last pitcher who did that 5 years in a row was Cy Young. In 1970 and 1975, he had the 10th-best won-lost percentages in the league.
, an arrangement the pair announced at spring training
in March 1973. Peterson and Kekich had been inseparable friends since 1969; both families lived in New Jersey
, their children were about the same age, and often they all would visit the Bronx Zoo
or the shore or enjoy a picnic together. They decided that they would one day trade wives, children, and even dogs.
The affair began in 1972, when the two couples joked on a double date about wife swapping, a phenomenon that caught on in some uninhibited circles during the early 1970s. According to one report, the first swap took place that summer, after a party at the home of New York sportswriter Maury Allen
. The couples made the change official in October; Kekich moving in with Marilyn Peterson and Peterson with Susanne Kekich, but no word leaked out until spring of 1973. A light moment came when New York Yankees General Manager Lee MacPhail remarked, "We may have to call off Family Day
." The trade worked out better for Peterson than it did for Kekich, as Peterson is still married to the former Susanne Kekich, with whom he has had four children. Kekich and Marilyn Peterson did not last long.
Peterson's pitching seemed to suffer in 1973 and 1974 after this "deal," and he was roundly booed in nearly every American League
ballpark afterwards. In April 1974, the Yankees traded him to the Cleveland Indians
.
Peterson later did color commentary for the New York Raiders WHA
professional hockey
franchise during the 1972-73 season.
Later, Peterson and Susanne Kekich lived outside Chicago
, where he worked as a blackjack dealer at a casino.
Peterson is also notable for his appearances in Jim Bouton
's bestselling 1970 non-fiction
book Ball Four, where he is generally portrayed as one of the few major leaguers and former Yankees who had a positive view of Bouton.
Fritz Peterson released his first book, Mickey Mantle Is Going to Heaven in July 2009. Sports author Maury Allen
is quoted as saying, "Fritz's book is even better than Bouton's Ball Four."
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player who played for the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
, and Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
from 1966 to 1976. Peterson was a southpaw starting pitcher who enjoyed his best success in 1970 with the Yankees when he went 20-11 and pitched in the All-Star game.
Baseball career
During the final game at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, September 21, 2008, ESPN Sports announced that the pitcher who had the all-time lowest earned run average at Yankee Stadium was Fritz Peterson, with a 2.52 ERAEarned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
. Whitey Ford was second with a 2.55 ERA. That honor is permanent since Yankee Stadium has been demolished. Peterson was the starting pitcher for the Yankees in the last game played at the original Yankee Stadium, which was completely renovated after the final game of the 1973 season, forcing them to play at Shea Stadium
Shea Stadium
William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...
during the 1974 and 1975 seasons.
In 1969 and 1970, Peterson had the best strikeout-to-walk ratios in the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
. Peterson also led the league in fewest walks per 9 innings pitched 5 years in a row, 1968-1972. The last pitcher who did that 5 years in a row was Cy Young. In 1970 and 1975, he had the 10th-best won-lost percentages in the league.
Personal life
He may be best remembered today for swapping families with fellow Yankee pitcher Mike KekichMike Kekich
Michael Dennis Kekich was a Major League Baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, and Seattle Mariners between 1965 and 1977...
, an arrangement the pair announced at spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
in March 1973. Peterson and Kekich had been inseparable friends since 1969; both families lived in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, their children were about the same age, and often they all would visit the Bronx Zoo
Bronx Zoo
The Bronx Zoo is located in the Bronx borough of New York City, within Bronx Park. It is the largest metropolitan zoo in the United States, comprising of park lands and naturalistic habitats, through which the Bronx River flows....
or the shore or enjoy a picnic together. They decided that they would one day trade wives, children, and even dogs.
The affair began in 1972, when the two couples joked on a double date about wife swapping, a phenomenon that caught on in some uninhibited circles during the early 1970s. According to one report, the first swap took place that summer, after a party at the home of New York sportswriter Maury Allen
Maury Allen
Maury Allen was an American sportswriter, actor, and former columnist for the New York Post and the Journal-News. He was also a voter for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Allen wrote 40 books on American sports icons...
. The couples made the change official in October; Kekich moving in with Marilyn Peterson and Peterson with Susanne Kekich, but no word leaked out until spring of 1973. A light moment came when New York Yankees General Manager Lee MacPhail remarked, "We may have to call off Family Day
Family Day
Family Day is the name of a public holiday in South Africa, in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Prince Edward Island, in the American states of Arizona and Nevada, in Vanuatu, in Vietnam and in the Australian Capital Territory.- Australian Capital Territory...
." The trade worked out better for Peterson than it did for Kekich, as Peterson is still married to the former Susanne Kekich, with whom he has had four children. Kekich and Marilyn Peterson did not last long.
Peterson's pitching seemed to suffer in 1973 and 1974 after this "deal," and he was roundly booed in nearly every American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
ballpark afterwards. In April 1974, the Yankees traded him to the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
.
Peterson later did color commentary for the New York Raiders WHA
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
professional hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
franchise during the 1972-73 season.
Later, Peterson and Susanne Kekich lived outside Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, where he worked as a blackjack dealer at a casino.
Peterson is also notable for his appearances in Jim Bouton
Jim Bouton
James Alan "Jim" Bouton is a former American Major League Baseball pitcher. He is also the author of the controversial baseball book Ball Four, which was a combination diary of his season and memoir of his years with the New York Yankees, Seattle Pilots, and Houston Astros.-Amateur and college...
's bestselling 1970 non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
book Ball Four, where he is generally portrayed as one of the few major leaguers and former Yankees who had a positive view of Bouton.
Fritz Peterson released his first book, Mickey Mantle Is Going to Heaven in July 2009. Sports author Maury Allen
Maury Allen
Maury Allen was an American sportswriter, actor, and former columnist for the New York Post and the Journal-News. He was also a voter for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Allen wrote 40 books on American sports icons...
is quoted as saying, "Fritz's book is even better than Bouton's Ball Four."