Today in Sports History: March 5th

New York Yankee pitchers Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson appeared almost inseparable. They were both friendly with each others wives and families and regularly spent time with one another. No one had any idea how close they were to each others lives... until today in 1973, when the two pitchers announced that they were swapping families. No, not just their wives -- they planned on living with each other’s wife, kids, and pets. Needless to say, people found the unorthodox deal a tad... weird.

“Some people are going to think it’s a wife swap. Mike and I agreed it was a life swap,” Peterson said. He added, “We’ve known each other for three or four years. In the beginning, it was fun just being together, the four of us. Then as things went along it became more serious. ... We both found we were unbelievably happy with the other. We each had found something we had both been lacking.”

Peterson got the better end of the deal -- Kekich and Marilyn Peterson split shortly after their pairing, while Fritz and Sussane Kekich wound up staying married.