I think I've traced where ABC got the idea for the TV series 'Wife Swap': From two real-life professional baseball players.
Sure, lots of sports figures have dated the same people time and again, but never have I ever heard two that literally swapped their whole entire lives.
But that's the crazy-but-true real life story of New York Yankees pitchers Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson.
The year was 1973. Mike Kekich and his wife Susanne and Fritz Peterson and his wife Marilyn had reportedly been friends for about four years at that point.
It was at Yankees Spring Training in '73 that Kekich and Peterson made a public announcement that they'd fallen in love with each other's spouses. And this was no prank or temporary experiment. It was very real and the headlines ran away with the scenario.
As you can imagine, given the era, this was a major scandal, both in the sports and media world. Explaining on Instagram said it best, stating, 'It remains one of the most bizarre and talked-about off-field stories in sports history'.
The scandal unfolded in about five steps. Here are the series of events surrounding this New York Yankees 'life swap'.
First, the pitchers switched wives. Fritz Peterson got with Susanne Kekich. Mike Kekich got with Marilyn Peterson. Second, the families swapped kids. Yep, the Kekich kids were living with Fritz and the Peterson offspring were living with Mike. Third, the newly formed couples traded homes. Fourth, Fitz and Mike traded cars. Fifth and finally, they even swapped family pets!
So, how did this all end up? Fritz Peterson pitched for the Yankees for nine seasons. He and Susanne got married and stayed together. As for Mike Kekich, in the bullpen for the Yankees for four seasons, he and Marilyn's love affair fizzled out after a couple months.
Yep, my eyes are still bugged out of my head, lol.
