"We're still happy we got out of Lincoln," said second baseman Don Colbert, who was one of the team's biggest success stories this year. "Do you know that the zombies there wear top hats?"
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But the Zombies got out of not only Lincoln, but September, the same way they handled business all year. The Zombies started out the month of September in a huge slump, losing eight of their first thirteen games to put their seemingly sure playoff spot in jeopardy: the team was above .500 in every month except an average 13-14 April. However, they took eight out of their last ten to end up nearly on top of the dogpile.
"We were playing really solid baseball, and then the floor fell out, and it took series wins against Charm City and Brooklyn to really secure our spot," said manager Farri Agymah. "We're excited to still have a home playoff series after that."
The Zombies will open up against Charlotte at home with Takehide Gertrudes pitching Game 1. The veteran Gertrudes was acquired midseason and is often credited by local media for basically saving the Jacksonville rotation, replacing disaster area John Jensen midseason and serving as perhaps the best and most consistent starter in the rotation the rest of the year.
"Savior of the rotation is laying it on a little thick, because we have some very good players here," said Gertrudes, who finished 9-4 with a 3.91 ERA with the Zombies and 13-9 overall. "But I am proud that I could come back to Jacksonville after so many years away and help the team so much."
Gertrudes was solid against Charlotte this year, and so were the Zombies, at least most of the year; they finished a robust 10-0 against the Flyers until September, when they were swept unceremoniously in a four game series. The late season collapse against the Flyers lit a fire under the team, however, and the Zombies have lost just three games since. Because of this, everyone is asking: will we the team that scored just eight runs in four games against Charlotte, or will we see the dynamic squad that has gone 10-3 since that series?
"We feel pretty good about our chances, especially with home field in the first round," said Jacksonville third baseman Pepe Aragon, who had his star turn this season. "We know we're going to play our guts out."
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