Guadalcanal is remembered for being a vicious battle that went on and on and for the cool name. But the strategy and tactics followed last night’s adventure in Anaheim.

Guadalcanal is remembered for being a vicious battle that went on and on and for the cool name. But the strategy and tactics followed last night’s adventure in Anaheim.

Guadalcanal is a large solid rocky island (not some mere sand spit on coral) at the southwest end of the Solomon Islands. It can easily accommodate multiple airfields and land based planes can make it very difficult to get ships safely to Australia and even New Zeeland. As 1942 (the year to survive to hope to turn it around in 1943) continued, Allied efforts in the Pacific were hurt by the “Germany first” policy agreed to by Churchill and Stalin.

After Midway, Allied intelligence became aware that the Japanese were building an airfield on Guadalcanal. They also realized that there were almost no Japanese troops on the island. Mostly, it was construction workers and machines. So, the Allies hatched a plan to take the island just before the airfield was complete. So, the Japanese occupation and start to the airfield is like the one run the Angels got when Andrellton Simmons hit a solo homerun in the second. Something that could have been significant, but ended up almost meaningless for his side.

The landing was barely opposed and light fighting cleared the airfield area. Once the perimeter was extended out sufficient to protect the completion of the airfield and once it was complete, there was little chance for the other side. That was kind of like the Braves eruption on Ricky Nolasco in the 3rd. Yes, the immediate reply to the solo shot was a barrage of hits resulting in 6 runs.

However, the Japanese didn’t go away. They began to use destroyers to bring in infantry at night and attack toward the airfield. The first such counterattack occurred on the second night (I am working from memory on that, but I am pretty sure it is right) when about a company of Marines tried to hold a ridge a few 100 yards from the airfield against a battalion sized (1000) assault. It ended near day break with one Marine machine gunner holding off the last charge.

The two solo homeruns (Albert Pujols over Braves protest and Luis Valbuena) in the 4th were kind of like those night attacks and the multiple night naval attacks. The racism / ethno centrism of the U. S. Military didn’t allow them to believe that the Japanese could develop a weapon like the “long lance” torpedo” which was the longest ranged and most effective torpedo in the world at that time. The 3 solo homeruns were each big blows, but weren’t enough to overcome the basic strategy of taking the airfield.

Julio Teheran looked almost like “Good Julio.” That is 2 decent starts in a row. Not great, but good. The emerging back end of the bullpen (Jose Ramirez, Arodys Vizcaino, and Jim Johnson) shut the Angels down to end it, kind of like the Army troops that relieved the Marines and mopped up.