Happy Birthday to Former Yankees Pitcher Mike Kekich

April 2, 1945- Former Yankees P Mike Kekich (1969-1973) was born.
Mike Kekich is known more for off the field actions as a Yankee than as a player. Fritz Peterson and Mike swapped wives and families one year, causing a quite a media stir. In one of the stranger deals in baseball history, Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson swapped wives, children, and dogs during the winter of 1972-1973. Kekich never married the former Mrs Fritz Peterson but Peterson did marry Susanne Kekich and they had 4 children of their own. They are still married today.  Mike came over from the Dodgers in the Andy Kosco trade in December of 1968. He went 31-24 as a Yankees pitcher before being exiled to the Cleveland Indians after the wife/family swap was revealed to the public during 1973 Yankees spring training camp. Mike appeared in 125 games for the Yankees posting a 31-32 record with 1 save. On June 12, 1973, he was traded by the New York Yankees to the Cleveland Indians for hurler Lowell Palmer. Mike originally came up with the Dodgers in 1965.  Then he played for the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers, then pitching in Mexico League before coming back to the Seattle Mariners in 1977.

Tom Metcalf: Tales of a Yankees Hurler

For thirteen innings of the 1963 Major League season, Amherst native (and current Wisconsin Rapids resident) Tom Metcalf was a member of the most storied franchise in baseball history. While his No. 29 pinstripe jersey may not adorn the walls of Yankee Stadium, he is one of the few men who can claim to have played alongside legends like Whitey Ford, Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle...

Even now, nearly fifty years removed from his Major League debut, Tom Metcalf's memory of his initial pitching line brings an expression of intensity to his face. On Sunday, August 4, 1963, the Baltimore Orioles had racked up an impressive tally against the 23-year-old Yankee rookie. Five hits, three runs, two innings — it was about as inauspicious as a first appearance could be.

It was also, however, just one more rough moment in a career most would deem improbable. After accepting a full-ride scholarship to play baseball at Northwestern University, Metcalf had been limited to only a few starts after suffering a serious eye injury during his sophomore year. This same affliction, combined with a summer spent largely on other pursuits, resulted in a poor academic showing. Unable to participate in sports until his grades improved, the young pitcher began to receive calls from professional clubs.

"At that time," Metcalf said, "it was an out for me." He signed with the Yankees, who offered a bonus slightly higher than that of the Cincinnati Reds. Minor League stops in St. Petersburg, Augusta and Richmond honed his baseball talent. Converted from a starter to a relief ace, Metcalf had posted a combined record of 32-19 over parts over three seasons. His ERA sat at a solid 2.82, thanks to a moving fastball and what some described as the "best curveball in the Yankee system."

Finally, late in the summer of 1963, his Richmond manager gave him the news: The Yankees were short in the bullpen — they needed him in New York.

After his rough debut, Metcalf rode the pine for an interminable ten days. Eventually, he went to speak with his new manager, Ralph Houk.

"If you're not going to pitch me," he said, "send me back to the minors."

Houk refused, insisting that the rookie remain in case of a sudden problem in the rotation. The Yankees had just under two months left to play, and their manager would be damned rather than let his club suffer a pitching meltdown.

Finally, on the 14^th of August, Metcalf was summoned from the bullpen. Having already put up 14 runs against a trio of Yankee hurlers, the Red Sox were set to send their Nos. 3, 4 and 5 hitters to the plate in the bottom of the eighth. Houk made the call — it would be the 23-year-old rookie to face Carl Yastrzemski, **** Stuart and Lou Clinton.

Toeing the Fenway rubber, Metcalf looked in for the sign as Yaz stepped into the lefthand batter's box. The future Hall of Famer was batting well above .300 against righties that season, and had been especially impressive when leading off an inning. But the young pitcher was determined, inducing a groundball from Yastrzemski which he picked himself before tossing to first baseman Joe Pepitone. Next up was Stuart, who lifted a fly ball into the mitt of second baseman Bobby Richardson. Then with two away, Clinton sent a foul ball high into the air. Yogi Berra shed his catcher's mask, shuffled underneath, and squeezed it for the final out.

No hits, no walks, no runs — Metcalf had his rebound.

His confidence renewed, the Wisconsin native soon went on a roll. In his next appearance (August 22) he allowed nothing, while striking out one over two innings in the team's 7-4 loss to Cleveland. Though now convinced of the young man's effectiveness, Houk continued to pick the rookie's spots.

Ten days passed as the Yankees finished their home stand and set out for a pair of three gamers in Baltimore and Detroit. On the first day of September, Metcalf finally got his next shot.

Editor's Note: To read about the rest of Metcalf's season, pick up a copy of the February 2011 issue of Inside Wisconsin Sports, on newsstands now.