The outfielder finds a home in St. Louis.

ST. LOUIS (AP) – The last six years, it’s been the same old story for Reggie Sanders. At the end of the season, he’s out the door.

Finally, he appears to have found a home.

The well-traveled outfielder has quickly reached a comfort zone with the St. Louis Cardinals – club No. 7 in season No. 7.

Sanders had a big first month: a .325 average with seven home runs and 21 RBIs heading into the weekend.

“Whenever you go to a new team, you want to start off well,” he said. “Even you don’t start off well, you still have to believe everything is going to be OK.

“But I think this has probably been my best start in a while.”

Already, Sanders has a pair of two-homer games and was batting .455 with runners in scoring position going into the weekend. He also led the team with six stolen bases in seven attempts.

Sanders’ biggest hit so far was a pinch-hit, bases-loaded triple in the eighth inning off Roberto Hernandez on Thursday. That liner erased 2-1 deficit, and the Cardinals ended up beating Philadelphia in 13 innings.

Before that hit, the fans were chanting “Reggie! Reggie!” for the player who has brought stability to right field, where J.D. Drew often was hurt. Drew was traded to the Braves in a deal for Jason Marquis in the offseason.

“The way he goes about it is one of the reasons a lot of us enjoy coming to the ballpark,” manager Tony La Russa said. “He’s such a pro. He’s a model citizen, a professional, the way he competes and cares about his teammates.”

And what if Sanders hadn’t tripled?

“He could have popped up,” La Russa said, “and I would have said the same thing.”

Sanders, 36, has been a good player for a long time – good enough to wear all of those uniforms. He came up with Cincinnati in 1991 and stayed there through the 1998 season.

Since then he’s played for the Padres, Braves, Diamondbacks, Giants, Pirates and now the Cardinals.

Sanders has blended strength and speed over the years – 256 career homers and 268 stolen bases going into the weekend. He’s also struck out a lot, averaging more than 100 a season.

There have been at least two constants: throughout it all he’s been able to stay in the National League, and he’s been a consistent source of offense. The last three seasons, Sanders has averaged 87 RBIs.

Sanders said he has no idea why he’s moved around so much. He’s been traded twice, both times in 1999. The rest of the time he’s signed as a free agent.

Though always on the go, he’s always found a job.

“He’s been outstanding,” La Russa said. “He gets big hits, plays good defense and can run the bases. I’ve got to believe it’s the economy, because everybody loves him.”

And now, at last, he has a two-year contract worth $6 million.

“It was a long time coming, I’ll put it that way,” Sanders said.

“It just shows perseverance.”

Sanders is convinced this Cardinals lineup, featuring four 100-RBI players from last year, is the best he’s been a part of. And that’s coming from a guy who won a World Series ring with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001.

The Cardinals entered Friday night with a major league-leading 38 homers. They were averaging nearly six runs per game and were the first team in the majors to score 100 runs, counting on their offense to carry them in the competitive NL Central.

La Russa has used Sanders at the top of the lineup, hitting him second for early pop, and at the bottom, adding a little power from the seventh slot.

The first time Sanders hit in the No. 2 spot in spring training, he homered in his first two at-bats.

When Ray Lankford is out, La Russa usually moves up Sanders.

“They’re kind of playing me periodically there when Ray’s not in the lineup,” Sanders said. “It’s fine, I like it. Wherever he wants me to be, that’s where I’m going to be.”

AP-ES-04-30-04 1858EDT