Port St. Lucie, Fla. ? David Cone stepped into the batter’s box and saw Todd Hundley crouching behind the plate.

“What are you trying to prove?” Hundley razzed his old batterymate.

“Me? You still alive?” Cone jibed back.

After Monday’s exhibition against Los Angeles, Cone was still smiling. He cut through the middle of the Dodgers’ lineup, setting down Shawn Green, Fred McGriff and Brian Jordan while pitching two perfect innings in the New York Mets’ 2-1 victory.

Trying to make a comeback at 40 after taking a year off, Cone has faced nine batters in spring training games and retired all of them.

“It was a good test,” said Cone, who won the 1994 Cy Young award as a Kansas City Royal. “I’m definitely making some progress. Each step has been in the right direction.

“As things have gone, I’m encouraged. I haven’t pitched out of the stretch. But it’s only three innings.”

The Mets invited their former ace to camp almost on a lark, to see whether he had anything left after going 9-7 for Boston in 2001.

Out of respect, they put him a prominent place in the clubhouse, giving him a locker between Al Leiter and Tom Glavine and presenting him with No. 16, the number Dwight Gooden made famous for the Mets.

But now with No. 3 starter Pedro Astacio likely to start the season on the disabled list because of a sore shoulder, there might be more of a need.

Maybe that’s why all of the Mets greeted Cone with high-fives, hearty handshakes and pats on the head after he returned to the dugout after finishing his two-inning stint.

“He did a nice job. He kept the ball down, that’s what I was pleased with,” manager Art Howe said. “Another good outing. Next time out, it’ll be three innings.”

Cone’s fastball continued in the 88-mph range, and this time he featured a couple of outstanding breaking balls. He threw a first-pitch slider for a called strike that made leadoff man Calvin Murray flinch.

“Yeah, it surprised me,” Murray said. “It started out behind me. It broke a whole lot. The first time you see that pitch, you’re not going to touch it.”

Cone took over for Steve Trachsel in the fifth and breezed through the inning. There was a slight air of anticipation going into the sixth as Green, McGriff and Jordan came up.

Green took a big swing and hit a high popup — “he just missed it,” Cone said.

McGriff pulled a hard grounder that first baseman Mo Vaughn hit the dirt to field, and he flipped to Cone covering the bag.

Jordan also took a slider for a strike before grounding out. In all, Cone threw 19 pitches, 12 for strikes.