Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio …

Joe DiMaggio greeting fans in Japan

Ten days after appearing in his final World Series game for the New York Yankees, 36-year-old, sore-heeled Joe DiMaggio decides 73 years ago today to play some more.

This time, he opts to join a Japan-bound group of All-Stars led by onetime major leaguer, two-time National League batting champion and Pacific Coast League legend Lefty O’Doul.

O’Doul is a baseball savant who for years tours to Japan with American players to give clinics and play exhibition games.

For this trip, the 54-year-old O’Doul is able to include his longtime friend and fellow San Franciscan in DiMaggio.

DiMaggio, of course, quickly becomes the headliner on the trip, which sees O’Doul’s All-Stars win 13 of their 15 games against Japanese players.

The games turn out to the last for DiMaggio, the future Hall of Famer who a couple of months later announces his retirement from the game.

DiMaggio leaves behind a 13-year major league career – not including three seasons he misses during World War II – in which he bats .325 over 1,736 games with 361 home runs and 1,537 runs batted in.

He also wins two American League batting titles, earns three AL most valuable player awards, is named to 13 All-Star Games and, most important, leads the Yankees to 10 World Series with New York winning nine of them.