Former All-Star pitcher has pa sed away at age 82. The Yankees announced the news this evening and offered their condolences to Petersons family. The Yankees are deeply saddened to learn of the pa sing of Fritz Peterson, who was a formidable pitcher and affable presence throughout his nine years in pinstripes , the team said in a statement. Along with longtime teammate Mel Stottlemyre, Peterson was part of a devastating one-two combination at the top of the Yankees rotation. A known prankster and well-liked among his teammates and coaches, Peterson had an outgoing personality and inquisitive nature that brought lightheartedne s to the clubhouse on a regular basis and belied his prowe s on the mound most notably his impeccable control, which was among the best in the Majors. Peterson will be greatly mi sed by the Yankees, and we offer our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Susanne, and the entire Peterson family. A Chicago native, Peterson attended Northern Illinois before signing with the Yankees. He began his career in 1963 and reached the major leagues three years later. The southpaw stepped into the New York rotation as a rookie and spent nearly a decade in the Bronx. Even by the standards of an era of baseball defined by low Dominic Fletcher Jersey scoring, Peterson was an excellent pitcher. He turned in a sub-3.00 ERA in three straight seasons from 1968-70. The left-handers 2.70 mark over that stretch ranked 12th among 122 qualified hurlers. Peterson earned an All-Star nod in 1970, a season in which he worked 260 1/3 frames of 2.90 ERA ball. A stellar control artist, he led the American League in WHIP in both 1969 and 70 and had the Junior Circuits lowest BB/9 rate in five straight seasons from 1968-72. He led qualified AL pitchers in strikeout-to-walk ratio in consecutive seasons from 1969-70. While that late-60s run was Petersons peak, he remained a reliable part of the New York rotation through the 73 season. New York traded him to the Indians early in 1974 as part of a package for future ALCS hero . Peterson pitched parts of three years in Cleveland, working to a 4.34 ERA in 346 innings. He had a brief stint with the Rangers before retiring after undergoing shoulder surgery in 1977. In addition to his on-field accomplishments, Peterson was known for his 1973 wife swap with teammate . Peterson, Kekich and their respective wives, Marilyn and Susanne, decided to reshuffle their relationships after falling for one another. 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. Actually, it was a husband trade Mike for me or me for Mike. Its a love story. It wasnt anything dirty , Peterson would later say ( ). While Kekich and Marilyn had a brief relationship, Fritz and Susanne Peterson remained together for a half-century until his pa sing. Peterson finished his career with a 3.30 ERA in more than 2200 innings. He recorded more than 1000 strikeouts, won 133 games and threw 20 shutouts. MLBTR joins those around the game offering condolences to his family, friends, former teammates and loved ones. Jake Eder Jersey