Countdown to Pedro [J. Mark English]

As if a .600 plus baseball club could really use a hall of fame pitcher, but the New York Mets will soon welcome back to their rotation one of the best pitchers in the game.

Pedro Martinez threw off the mound yesterday. Jim Baumbach of Newsday has more:

Not long after Pedro Martinez took the most important step to date in his rehab, throwing off a mound, the Mets righthander adamantly insisted he will make it back this summer.

Eight months to the day of his rotator cuff surgery, Martinez threw 38 pitches off a mound for the first time and was his usual jovial self afterward, smiling as he spoke with a group of reporters for more than 10 minutes.

Martinez admitted he was a little hesitant when he first got on the mound, but insisted everything felt great as he threw. Still, the real test won't come until he finally gets into a game, which won't be for a while.