CLEVELAND -- For months, theyve been ignored, overlooked and mostly dismissed.The Cleveland Indians werent supposed to be playing in October and yet here they are: AL Central champions with a chance to end a World Series drought approaching its 68th anniversary.While many baseball fans remain fixated on the Chicago Cubs, those lovable losers trying to rewrite baseball history, the Indians have quietly overcome injuries to put themselves in position to bring another championship to Cleveland, a city still giddy after LeBron James and the Cavaliers won an NBA title this summer.We dont mind if we have to play the underdog, said second baseman Jason Kipnis. We dont mind if we have to take people by surprise. We know what kind of team weve got here and the kind of organization we have here -- and were pretty happy with whats going on.The Indians have defined resiliency this season. They played all but 11 games without star outfielder Michael Brantley and didnt have starting catcher Yan Gomes for most of the year. Cleveland lost starters Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar down the stretch to injuries and wont have them in the postseason. But the Indians cleared the obstacles thrown at them, motivated by the guidance of manager Terry Francona.With unexpected contributions from players like Jose Ramirez, Mike Napoli and Rajai Davis, the continued rise of star shortstop Francisco Lindor and a lights-out bullpen, they grabbed the division lead in June, reeled off a 14-game winning streak and never looked back, dominating rival Detroit and dethroning the defending champion Kansas City Royals, who finished 13 1/2 games behind Cleveland.It didnt go according to plan, but when does it ever? And as they prepare to take on the Boston Red Sox in the best-of-five division series starting Thursday, the Indians, who have craved the spotlight for years, are again being given little chance to advance.Kipnis and his teammates have grown accustomed to a lack of respect nationally.Its Cleveland, he said. Its a smaller market and people tend to forget that. Its OK if were not the favorite. Weve been proving people wrong all year. We have plenty of people who believe in us.On Tuesday, the Indians arrived at Progressive Field and were greeted in their clubhouse by boxes filled with new cleats and some cold-weather gear. They wont need any layering in Games 1 and 2 with temperatures expected to be in the 70s for the first pitch.But although theyve made it to October, the narrative has yet to change on the Indians, and thats just fine with them.We havent been a popular pick all year long, said the fun-loving Lindor, who plays with an infectious passion. Thats OK. We believe in each other.That confidence comes from Francona, who leads the Indians flock of faithful.From the outset of training camp, Francona, who guided the Red Sox to their first World Series title in 86 years in 2004 and then added another three years later, has instilled confidence in his players. By using his entire 25-man roster -- and then some -- hes developed a group that values depth and understands it takes everyone doing their share.That was apparent when the Indians ripped off 14 wins in a row from June 17 to July 2. There was a different hero every game, and the stretch climaxed with a 19-inning victory in Toronto.Francona pulled out all the stops in that 2-1 win, even using Game 1 starter Trevor Bauer in relief for five shutout innings. The victory sapped the Indians, but the more-than-two-week winning streak also bonded them.Winning breeds confidence, Kipnis said. That kind of laid the foundation for the season and the team that we are today. It needs to be all hands on deck for us to win and well be good if we do that.The streak began as the Cavs were rallying from a 3-1 deficit in the finals to beat Golden State and give Cleveland its first major sports championship since 1964.On June 17, hours before the Cavs would win Game 7 on the road, fans in Progressive Field alternated chants of Lets Go Indians with Lets Go Cavs during Clevelands 3-2 win in 10 innings over the Chicago White Sox.Kipnis said the Indians fed off the citys energy.It gave positive vibes around the stadium and gave positive vibes to the fans, he said of the Cavs championship run. Everyone was in a better mood. The sun was shining. There was no longer that dark cloud over Cleveland. LeBron didnt throw any shutouts for us or hit any home runs, but at the same time, the Cavs winning it all it took that pressure away of bringing home the first title.A second one might not be that far away. 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Sergei Nemchinov Rangers Jersey .C. - The Carolina Hurricanes have placed backup goalie Anton Khudobin on injured reserve with an unspecified lower-body injury. CLEVELAND -- Two days later, the pain has diminished -- a little.The cruel sting of losing Game 7 hasnt completely left the Cleveland Indians.We all want to hoist that World Series trophy, team president Chris Antonetti said Friday, so it hurt when we lost.At the same time the Chicago Cubs were parading down Michigan Avenue after winning their first title in 108 years, the Indians -- who pushed the National League champions into extra innings in an unforgettable season finale before losing 8-7 -- took the first steps toward getting back to the Series in 2017.For Antonetti, who has been with the club for 18 years, there is some comfort in what the Indians did this season. But hell never be satisfied completely until Clevelands title quest is finished.We went to Game 7 of the World Series, that in and of itself is an accomplishment, he said. Not the ultimate one were striving for, but still a great organizational accomplishment.With deadlines approaching and no time for pity, the Indians jumped right into the offseason by locking up manager Terry Francona through 2020.The club exercised its contract options for 2019 and 2020 on the 57-year-old manager, who did a remarkable job in steering the Indians around numerous obstacles to get them to their first Series since 1997.Cleveland overcame key injuries, suspensions and questions about their legitimacy as title contenders under Francona, who in his fourth season got the Indians within one win of their first title since 1948.He did a masterful job, Antonetti said. The way in which Tito is constantly thinking about how to place individual players in a position to be successful, to most impact the team, is always extraordinary. He does that first and foremost by building really deep relationships with guys, where they know he cares and he has their best interest in mind, and hes always going to find a way for them to be the best versions of themselves.Hes done that from the day he got here. As high as our expectations were for Tito when we hired him, hes gone beyond that. Were really fortunate to have him.Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff also praised Franconas willingness to include everyone in Clevelands front office on major decisions.Hes five steps ahead of all of us [on the field], Chernoff said. Thats just a small part of it. Hes broken down barriers organizationally for us, whether its scouting, player development, that connection people feel internally, and hes done it on the field with the team and in the clubhouse. And the culture he hhas helped to build, a lot of the resiliency you see, the grit you saw in this team, is a product of that culture.dddddddddddd Its not any one move that he made.The Indians have had four straight winning seasons under Francona, who won two titles with Boston. Hes become wildly popular in Cleveland, where he can be seen riding his motorized scooter to the ballpark and where fans have embraced his everyman persona, enthusiasm and self-deprecating sense of humor.Along with rewarding Francona, the Indians exercised their $12 million option on slugger Carlos Santana for next season. The move was expected after Santana belted 34 homers while splitting time at first and designated hitter.Cleveland declined a $13 million option on outfielder Coco Crisp, who gets a $750,000 buyout.The switch-hitter had a few key hits in the postseason and a .208 batting average with two home runs and eight RBIs for the Indians in the regular season after being acquired from the Athletics on Aug. 31.The trade returned Crisp, who turned 37 on Tuesday, to the team he broke into the majors with in 2002.Antonetti also said the club has expressed to first baseman Mike Napoli and outfielder Rajai Davis that they would like to re-sign the potential free agents. The team has until Monday to make qualifying offers to both. Napolis is worth $17.2 million.In his first season with Cleveland, Napoli reached career highs in homers, plate appearances and RBIs. The 35-year-old struggled in the postseason, but Antonetti said the team will take into account the balance of the season.Mike did a phenomenal job for us, he said. He made a huge impact for us on the field and in the clubhouse, and I think thats the lens through which well view it.Davis, too, helped the Indians to their first American League Central title since 2007. The 35-year-old led the league in stolen bases and helped them offset the loss of All-Star Michael Brantley.And for a little while, Davis hit the biggest homer in Cleveland history. His two-run shot in the eighth inning of Game 7 off Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman tied the score 6-6 before Chicago scored two in the 10th.Antonetti and Chernoff were together in a suite and couldnt contain their emotions.I didnt even try, Antonetti said.I almost fell out of the booth, Chernoff said.And next time, they hope to celebrate after the Series.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. ' ' '