Buck Showalter is doing such a boffo job his first few weeks as Mets manager, one wonders why he was relegated to TV duty three straight seasons after being let go by the Orioles. And why, specifically, did his old Yankees team not think about bringing him back?

Well, actually they did. But only for a second or two.

Showalter’s name came up early and briefly at least in one discussion among a couple higher-ups after Aaron Boone’s contract expired and the Yankees were internally discussing their manager position. While the Yankees seemed to take a surprisingly long time to finalize Boone’s deal, Buck turned out to be little more than a fleeting thought in a very short discussion of other alternatives. The Yankees weren’t about to remove Boone.

The Mets are really the team that needed a jolt, and Buck brings exactly that. The Yankees did not require that.

It was Brian Cashman’s call, as it should be, and the very longtime GM was fully and understandably behind Boone.

The Yankees gave Boone a three-year extension after a regular season when they overachieved again and a postseason when they disappointed again.

Boone has a sterling overall won-loss record (top five all time), and is considered an outstanding employee. In other words, he’s usually good about taking direction from the front office, which is where the power is now, not just with the Yankees but most teams.

Meantime, Showalter is known as a baseball savant, certainly at 161st and River better than anywhere. But he’s also known for wanting things done his own way, which might explain how someone so brilliant in baseball was fired four times before, including by owner Hal Steinbrenner’s father in 1995. And why he spent three years at MLB Network rather than the dugout.

Bringing back Showalter after 27 years away would have been a headline grabber, but the Yankees played it safe, surprising no one.

Ultimately though, it’s the Mets’ gain. In their own search, there was some support for Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro, spirited debate and maybe even a brief split, though owner Steve Cohen was firmly in the Buck camp and the Mets ultimately agreed to unanimously select Showalter — a recent runner-up to Joe Maddon and Joe Girardi.

Now at 10-3 with Showalter in the dugout (they lost Wednesday when he was away for a medical procedure; he returned the next day and he’s said to be OK), it’s almost unanimous in five boroughs: it was the right choice.

Showalter set a needed tone by charging out of the dugout after Mets stars Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso were drilled in the face, and impressed everyone using the rule book to guarantee a run versus the D’backs. Folks suggest Showalter has a “shelf life.” But as one Mets person put it: “Right guy at the right time.”