PORT ST. LUCIE – It was just one inning of an intrasquad scrimmage, a mere 26 pitches in all.
It also might have been a wa tershed moment in the Mets’ season.
If the scouts are right and their World Series hopes hinge almost as much on Duaner Sanchez as they do on Johan Santana, then it’s easy to see why the Amazin’s were beaming yesterday after Sanchez’s first game in nearly two years.
The 28-year-o ld right-hander struggled at times, giving up a pair of soft singles and a walk before working his way out of trouble, but neither Sanchez nor the Mets had any complaints.
“It was a relief in a big way,” said Sanchez, who is trying to come back from two surgeries on his right shoulder. “It had been so long since I last pitched that I didn’t even know how to step on the freakin’ mound.”
All eyes were on Sanchez yesterday because he remains a proven answer to the biggest question facing the Mets this season: their shaky bullpen.
Sanchez was one of the top set-up relievers in the game two years ago before a Miami taxicab accident in late July shelved him for the rest of that season with a separated shoulder.
A hairline fracture in the shoulder the following spring meant another year on the sidelines – a year made all the more painful for Sanchez as he watched his feeble replacement, Guillermo Mota, help throw away the Mets’ season.
But Sanchez rehabbed diligently this offseason, spending his time in Florida improving his strength and stamina. He went into spring training with no restrictions on his arm, then let it fly yesterday on the No. 7 diamond at Tradition Field.
Pitching for the Sandy Alomar-coached team, Sanchez entered in the second inning and ended up facing six hitters. Catchers Ramon Castro and Brian Schneider led off with soft singles, but Sanchez fought back by retiring non-roster players Michel Abreu and Fernando Martinez.
The at-bat by Martinez – the top prospect in the Mets’ system at age 19 – was the high point for Sanchez. Martinez struck out on three pitches, the last a pretty changeup in the dirt that the young outfielder waved at feebly.
“I never had a chance,” Martinez said. “He make me look really bad.”
Sanchez then walked minor-league infielder Anderson Machado on a full count before getting out of the inning on a force by another non-roster invitee, Brahaim Maldonado.
It was a heavy workload on a hot day, but Sanchez wasn’t ruffled. Not after he was able to throw all of his pitches – fastball, changeup, cutter and sinker – to most of the spots he wanted. He even experimented with a couple of curveballs for good measure.
“The changeup had really good movement, and that’s his go-to pitch,” Schneider said. “It didn’t look like he was laboring at all.”
Sanchez, who insists he is in better physical shape than before the accident, also showed his competitive side by screaming out in frustration after missing a couple of spots.
The Mets, on the other hand, felt like screaming for joy at the sight of their potential set-up artist back on the mound.
“Having Duaner back and healthy is going to make it so much easier for me,” closer Billy Wagner said. “It’s been fantastic to see [Sanchez’s comeback]. He understands what a big part of the team he is.”
Sanchez, whose next scheduled appearance is Thursday in a Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, was just happy to get yesterday done with.
“There was a lot of adrenaline,” he said. “I wanted to see how it was going to be, because it’s been a long time.”
Too long for the Mets, whose bullpen nightmare now might finally be over.
bhubbuch@nypost.com