CLEVELAND -- If the Guardians want to win a postseason series for the first time since 2016, they need José Ramírez’s bat. And if there were any concerns that the All-Star third baseman wasn’t in postseason form, he tried to alleviate those in the last game of the regular season.

Ramírez went out with a bang on Wednesday afternoon in Cleveland’s 9-2 victory over the Royals at Progressive Field, logging four hits (including a double), two RBIs and a run scored. Over the past handful of games, Ramírez showed signs of getting back in an offensive groove, ending the year with a five-game hitting streak.

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There’s no secret as to how important the 30-year-old is to this team. Whether the Guardians were the oldest or youngest team in baseball, Ramírez would be essential to the club’s success. It’s the reason the organization worked so hard to come up with a deal prior to the start of this season that would keep him in Cleveland for the foreseeable future. He’s gritty, quick, smart on the bases and he brings just enough pop to a lineup that desperately needs a threat of power.

That’s why at the beginning of Spring Training, manager Terry Francona addressed Ramírez before preaching too much at the rest of his club.

The writing was on the wall for this group. There was no way this roster would lead the Majors in home runs. There were also only a few players in the clubhouse who had more than a year or two of Major League experience. Francona knew from Day 1 that his team would need to do the little things perfectly to have success. Sound defense, elite baserunning and putting the ball in play -- all the aspects of “small ball” -- could still keep this type of a lineup afloat.

But it wouldn’t work if the players didn’t buy into the concept. And in order to get everyone on the same wavelength, Ramírez needed to be the first to set the tone.

“We've talked since Day 1 how we want to play,” Francona said. “If your best player doesn't do it, my message would be hollow. And I know that. And Josey knows that. He's pretty special.”

Ramírez couldn’t have embodied the team’s imagined style of play any better. He’s never one to jog down the first-base line and his regular season ended by turning a single into a hustle double in the eighth. Ramírez found ways to provide a much-needed spark, racking up 126 RBIs -- the most for a Cleveland player since Juan Gonzalez (140) in 2001 – and tallied 32 multi-RBI games, which were the most in any season of his career.

And with Ramírez setting that tone, the rest of the offense followed and found 92 wins worth of success.

But there was slight concern with the postseason growing closer. So many of the triumphs down the stretch were largely without a big impact from Ramírez. From Sept. 1 through the game when Cleveland clinched the AL Central on Sept. 25, he watched his batting average drop from .285 to .275, as he hit .228 with just a .677 OPS in that 25-game span.

Ramírez’s strikeouts per month steadily increased from August to September, while his wOBA was on a perpetual downfall from the start of the season.

It’s been impressive to see MLB’s youngest team thrive like it has all season. There’s no question that guys like Steven Kwan, Oscar Gonzalez and Andrés Giménez brought an enormous boost to an offense that had struggled for the past few years.

But there’s always a risk that inexperience could catch up to them, especially in the postseason. That’s why it’s critical that Ramírez is in his usual form for Cleveland to continue to roll.

Since the clinch, Ramírez’s numbers slowly started to climb back in the right direction. His OPS jumped back over .800, and he had three multihit and four multi-RBI games in that two-week span. And what could’ve been his final sign that he’s ready to go for the playoffs, Ramírez ended his year playing the exact way Francona asked of him in Spring Training, while logging four hits.

“He’s the heart and soul of the team, and everyone would tell you that same thing,” starter Aaron Civale said. “There’s a lot of pieces involved, but he is that supreme piece. It’s extremely fun to watch. It’s great that we get to do it from the same dugout and not across the way.”