Several hours after rotator cuff surgery last Oct. 5, Pedro Martinez recalls Mets medical director Dr. David Altchek saying to him that the surgery came out well. "You do things right," Martinez said Altchek told him, "and you're going to be okay." The Mets' celebrated right-hander thought of those words Thursday afternoon, after passing his most strenuous test thus far in making a comeback. Martinez showed up at Tradition Field believing he would throw about 45 pitches in a simulated game. He ended up throwing 67 and later declared that he has more knowledge now that all the work he's done in overcoming rotator cuff surgery has been worth it. "I feel better about my stamina and my endurance on the mound," he said. "And toward the end, I felt better than at the first of the game. That tells me I just need more work." Then someone asked him if he now believes he will be pitching at Shea Stadium before season's end. After a pause, he said with some force, "I feel better about stepping on the mound anywhere -- because I wasn't sure what to expect, what my response was going to be after I pitched a little bit. But now I know. It's just a matter of time." Just a matter of time, he was saying, before he would be pitching for the Mets again. Assuming he has no problem from Thursday's effort, Martinez is expected to pitch again either next Tuesday or Wednesday for the Mets' Port St. Lucie Class A team. Martinez, who is just two strikeouts short of 3,000 and has 206 career victories, has been out since Oct. 5 surgery for a torn rotator cuff. He allowed two runs Thursday morning, one of them earned, in five innings while facing the Mets' Gulf Coast League team composed of rookies. He threw 50 strikes and was particularly sharp in the last three innings, when 24 of his 28 pitches were strikes. Martinez said he can now put behind him the fear of how his arm would hold up. "All that hard work, now I know it was worth it," he said.