The last time the Yankees had a seven-game stretch where they lost six and scored seven runs or fewer — as they did this past week — was 1908, when they were named the Highlanders and played at Hilltop Park.

So this was no ordinary June funk. It carried some serious historical weight (cap tip to stat guru Katie Sharp for the perspective) and applied mounting pressure on the reeling Yankees, who could do little right during the tailspin.

Then, on Thursday, with the Yankees trying to avoid an unthinkable four-game sweep by the Angels, Carlos Rodon’s opening pitch to Zach Neto got whacked, a 101-mph rocket that sailed toward the gap in right-centerfield. But there on the warning track, just short of the 385-foot mark, was Trent Grisham at cruising speed, reaching up to make the backhanded grab like he’s on a recliner stretching for the TV remote.

Turns out, the best antidote for a Yankees’ team that was pressing during a six-game losing streak — by manager Aaron Boone’s own admission — was to rely on the guy who’s seemingly immune to the stress. Boone himself said earlier this week that Grisham was incapable of pressing, a catch-all term for the anxiety of pushing too hard, and the Yankees’ chill centerfielder proved him correct in their desperately needed 7-3 victory over the Angels.

The surprising Grisham, who’s fast start has him second only to Aaron Judge in a number of the Yankees’ offensive categories, shook off his own recent skid to belt a go-ahead two-run homer in the second inning and add a table-setting double in the seventh. For a team that had just endured three straight shutouts this week, Grisham’s bat alone provided nearly a week’s worth of production, and it probably wasn't a coincidence. 

Not only did Grisham make that Neto catch look easy, he jumped on a first-pitch sinker from Angels starter Tyler Anderson for his second-inning homer, No. 14 on the season, then did a signature bat flip before flicking it away. After Rodon had teed up a pair of solo homers through the first two innings, it was Grisham’s shot that put the Yankees ahead to stay for the afternoon (10 of his 14 homers this season have either tied the game or given them the lead).

When I asked Boone what he meant regarding his personality profile of Grisham, the manager smiled.

“You ever see him go get a fly ball?” Boone said. “Hit a homer, flip the bat and catch the barrel? He doesn’t know pressing.”

Grisham agreed. And in his mind, it’s not about being showy or slick. Playing the game that way is more a product of trying to stay even keel, to not get shook by the inevitable pitfalls that come along. Rather than gawk at his 408-foot homer into the bleachers, Grisham did the bat thing, then put his head down into the trot. Not pressing takes practice.

“I think you have to make a conscious effort,” Grisham said. “This game over 180 days will beat you up. That was something that was taught to most all of us when we were younger coming up through the minor leagues and I don’t think you really understand until you get to this level.

“But when you get to a team like this, with a bunch of veterans around — seeing the way they lead and seeing the way they’re consistent, day in and day out. It rubs off on guys.”

With the offense badly misfiring lately, and even Judge appearing mortal over the past week, hitting just .083 (2-for-24) with 15 strikeouts, someone else had to muscle up. And yet with Giancarlo Stanton’s return putting three more MVPs back in the lineup, it was Grisham who did the job, once again showing glimpses of the dangerous bat that helped propel the Yankees early on.

That’s why Grisham earned the starting centerfielder’s job that was supposed to belong to Cody Bellinger, who shifted to left and forced Jasson Dominguez to a part-time role.. Through the season’s first 34 games, Grisham vastly outperformed the departed Juan Soto, hitting .288 (30-for-104) with 12 homers, 22 RBIs and a 1.036 OPS. When Soto returned to the Bronx with the Mets in mid-May, the Stadium crowd chanted “We want Grisham!” as much a tribute to him as an insult to the Flushing defector.

But Grisham subsequently tumbled back to Earth, batting just .190 (20-for-105) over his next 29 games as his OPS was nearly cut in half (.562). After smashing a pair of home runs on May 12 against the Mariners in Seattle, Grisham went deep just once with only six RBIs leading up to Thursday, so the flex was due — and could not have come at a more pivotal time for the Yankees. They required more of that chill vibe.

“He definitely looks relaxed,” Bellinger said. “But on the inside, he’s extremely focused. And I think the jumps he gets in the outfield, he’s made some tremendous catches this year where balls could have dropped. So just watching him go about his work, it’s been fun to watch.”

The Yankees needed some fun, and maybe some of that relaxation, too. For that, Grisham was the right guy at the right time.