The Mets didn’t have or need a closer today.

Apparently Johan Santana spoke to Jerry Manuel before the game and said, “Don’t come out there today. Leave me alone.”

And so — against all odds, really — he did.

Santana whiffed 10 and walked two in a 115-pitch shutout. He also singled and scored a run, because Johan Santana likes to thoroughly dominate his opponents.

A billion reporters and columnists were on hand because K-Rod beat up his father-in-law last night. It’s going to be fascinating to see how many writers try to spin this single win into something more, even though every player stressed that it wasn’t, and that they try to win every day, and that they don’t know too much about the situation but they support their teammate 100 percent.

Carlos Beltran went 3-for-3 with a double and a sacrifice fly. The two singles weren’t exactly scalded and the double came from the right side of the plate, but a three-hit night is a three-hit night and Beltran said it would give him confidence, even if he still felt a bit uncomfortable. Plus he made a nice running catch in center field. It was almost like old times again.

What a nice little afternoon baseball game.