“Mornin’ guys,” he said, walking past a throng of reporters. “Good morning!”

A baseball sat on the ledge of his locker, propped next to his glove. It’s a baseball tradition that the next day’s starter gets a ball in his locker.

He had a ball — and a blast.

“Having him in the clubhouse is a shot of life,” Wright said. “He’ll fit right into the rotation.”

Hundreds of Mets fans cheered when Martinez walked onto the field to pitch the bottom of the first, making his usual hop over the foul line for good luck. One fan in a white Mets jersey held up a sign saying: “He’s back.”

His fastball wasn’t. His best pitch still had some catching up to do.

The first three pitches registered only 82, 82 and 83 mph. He gave up a pair of runs, then seemed to get over his cautiousness. He threw back-to-back fastballs to Javier Valentin that registered 88 mph, then another that hit 89.

“When he started hitting 88, 89, it was like, ’Here we go again,”’ Lo Duca said. “He was good. It’s amazing.”

It wasn’t the old Martinez, but it was close enough.

“I’m not as consistent as I used to be with my mechanics and the strike zone,” Martinez said. “I’m the first to tell you I’m not there yet.”

Notes: Mets RHP Orlando Hernandez, who had a cortisone shot in his sore right foot last week, will miss his scheduled start Friday against the Astros. RHP Mike Pelfrey is expected to start in his place. “He’s doing fine,” Randolph said. “But we’re going to skip one turn.” ... Martinez hadn’t pitch in the majors since Sept. 27 last year. ... Nolan Ryan holds the career strikeout record with 5,714. ... Ken Griffey Jr.’s sacrifice fly in the first inning was the 1,695th RBI of his career, tying Cal Ripken for 17th. Reggie Jackson is next at 1,702.

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