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Michael Dennis Kekich
New York Yankees
Pitcher
Born: April 2, 1945, San Diego, CA
Signed: Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1964 season
Major League Teams: Los Angeles Dodgers 1965, 1968; New York Yankees 1969-73; Cleveland Indians 1973; Texas Rangers 1975; Seattle Mariners 1977
Mike Kekich pitched in nine different seasons, primarily with the Yankees, and he's best known for swapping wives and kids with fellow Yankees pitcher Fritz Peterson (#46). Kekich was a 10-game winner for the Yankees in 1971 and 1972, throwing at least 170 innings in both seasons. He hung on through the 1977 season as one of the more frequently used veteran relievers for the expansion Mariners. Kekich also pitched in Japan and Mexico along the way. In 235 career games, Kekich was 39-51 with a 4.59 ERA and 497 strikeouts.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #609
September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Vintage Sports)
The Card / Yankees Team Set / Accuracy Index -8
1969 Season
On December 4, 1968, Kekich was traded by the Dodgers to the Yankees for outfielder/first baseman Andy Kosco (#139). In his first season with the Yankees, Kekich pitched in 28 games, making 13 starts, and was 4-6 with a 4.54 ERA, throwing 105 innings. He was wild throughout his career, and this season was no different, as he struck out 66 but walked 49.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #561
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8): 1965, 1969-74, 1976
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1990 Pacific Senior League #73
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 33 in the Beckett online database as of 1/3/26.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia
September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Vintage Sports)
On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show. The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year. I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova. I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.
I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set. My second stop was the aptly named Vintage Sports table. I always appreciate a dealer with clear signage explaining their pricing method, and Vintage Sports had a marker in their selection of 1969 Topps cards laying out that cards without a sleeve were $1 and cards with a sleeve were $2. I had one "high number" in a sleeve, and that was a whopping $4.
I found 28 commons needed before moving on to my third stop. This was the 14th of 28 total cards bought from Vintage Sports, and the 50th of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day. Unsleeved, this card cost less than $1 after a dealer discount.
The Card / Yankees Team Set / Accuracy Index -8
Kekich had last appeared in a Topps set way back in 1965, and he's very likely wearing a Dodgers jersey and on this card. The back of the card contains an uncorrected error, as Topps misspelled the name of the player traded by the Yankees for Kekich - see below. The cartoon highlights the shutout he threw against the Mets on August 4, 1968. He struck out 11 and allowed only one hit - a seventh inning single to Rob Swoboda (#585). It was the only shutout of Kekich's big league career.
Accuracy Index: It's been a while since we've had a -8 score for a former team jersey and a hat without a logo.
1969 Season
On December 4, 1968, Kekich was traded by the Dodgers to the Yankees for outfielder/first baseman Andy Kosco (#139). In his first season with the Yankees, Kekich pitched in 28 games, making 13 starts, and was 4-6 with a 4.54 ERA, throwing 105 innings. He was wild throughout his career, and this season was no different, as he struck out 66 but walked 49.
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First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #561
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8): 1965, 1969-74, 1976
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1990 Pacific Senior League #73
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 33 in the Beckett online database as of 1/3/26.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia
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