No-hitter no longer on list, but string of skids remain for Mets

Johan Santana removed the weight and the wait of being no-hit free for the Mets and their bedeviled fans.

After June 1, 2012, the Mets’ nation no longer could rally around the half-century-long blight. So as a public service to those who are not happy unless they’re miserable, we offer the next absence that does not make your heart grow fonder:

Frank Viola won 20 games for the 1990 Mets. In the two decades since, 49 different pitchers have reached 20 wins a total of 68 times. None are Mets.

Tom Glavine leads the majors having won 20 games five times in that span — all, of course, before he became a Met. Santana, Mike Hampton, Jose Lima and Scott Erickson all reached 20 since 1991, but before they became Mets. And David Cone, as he had done for the 1988 Mets, was a 20-game winner for the 1998 Yankees.

The Yankees have had six 20-game winners since the Mets last had one: Cone, Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina, CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte twice. Atlanta, as you might suspect, has had the most with nine: Those five by Glavine, plus one each for Greg Maddux, Russ Ortiz, Denny Neagle and John Smoltz.

But don’t think the Mets are alone in this 20-win desert. The Rockies (Ubaldo Jimenez) and Rays (David Price) have had 19-game winners, but never someone who attained 20. But Colorado did not begin play until 1993 and the Rays until 1998.

The longest droughts date to 1978 for the Padres (Gaylord Perry) and the Expos/Nationals (Ross Grimsley). The Orioles go back to 1984 (Mike Boddicker), the Brewers to 1986 (Teddy Higuera), the Reds to 1988 (Danny Jackson) and the Royals to 1989 (Bret Saberhagen).

But the Mets have not done better than a 17-game winner in this period, with Al Leiter turning that trick in 1998. The only team that has not had someone win 18 or more games longer than the Mets is the Expos/Nationals, who last had it done in 1985 when Bryn Smith won 18 games. The Brewers, Royals and Reds have had someone reach 18 wins once from 1991-to-the-present and each has a Met tie: Chris Capuano (2005 Brewers), Kevin Appier (1993 Royals) and Pete Schourek (1995 Reds).

Of course, this long National (League) nightmare may end his season. R.A. Dickey has a major league-leading nine wins. If Dickey were to reach 20, he also would become the first knuckleballer to do so since Joe Niekro in 1980.

And, if Dickey does reach 20, maybe then we can see if David Wright could do something about that, um, MVP deficiency the Mets have.

***

If the season ended today, the Mets likely would have a top-five finisher in each of the four major awards: Terry Collins for Manager of the Year, Wright for MVP, Dickey (and maybe Santana) for Cy Young and Kirk Nieuwenhuis for Rookie of the Year.

Follow @NYPostsports