“That’s what I do, that’s my schtick — I’m a high-energy guy,” Sanchez said later of his sprint. He added, “Lining up on the field after the shutout, you have no idea how emotional I got.”

The Pirates fans’ own pent-up positivity was on display throughout the seven hours of baseball. Some had worn yellow and black wigs and temporary team tattoos or paint. Others waved skull-and-crossbones flags. Pirates shirts were abundant, from throwback Roberto Clemente No. 21 jerseys to the contemporary variety, the most common being center fielder Andrew McCutchen’s No. 22. McCutchen got the party off to a sterling start with a sprawling lateral dive after Carlos Beltran’s liner. Two runs might have scored if the ball had bounced past him, but McCutchen made the catch, rose and easily tossed the ball to first base to double off Matt Holliday and end the inning. In the bottom of the first, McCutchen hit a double off the left-field wall and then raced home when Pedro Alvarez doubled to right.

The Pirates then went hitless until the eighth inning, as the pitching duel between their ace, A. J. Burnett, and the Cardinals’ Lance Lynn, and both bullpens — the teams combined for only 12 hits in 11 innings — stretched on.

The game ended suddenly, when reliever Kevin Siegrist, who had walked the two previous batters, got a glove on Alex Presley’s routine comebacker, but in doing so deflected it past shortstop Pete Kozma and onto the outfield grass as Russell Martin raced home and fireworks erupted beyond the center-field fence.

As the Pirates raced out to mob Presley, they nearly bowled over Cardinals third baseman David Freese, who had to step out of the way.

In the second game, Holliday was again frustrated by McCutchen, circling as he tracked McCutchen’s soaring drive and leapt at the wall before nearly making a sensational catch — only to have the ball smack his wrist and land in the seats for a two-run homer.

Both hits are the kind of magical moments that strong veteran teams are accustomed to rather than untested ones. The tight divisional race is somewhat puzzling, given the Cardinals’ overall balance and Pittsburgh’s position deep in the second division in key offensive categories. St. Louis entered the doubleheader leading the league in batting average (Cardinals .274 to the Pirates .243), runs scored (500 to 407) and on-base percentage (.335 to .310).