ST. LOUIS — With all of their late drama over five days — a ninth-inning rally on Sunday, nine runs in the final two innings a couple of nights before that — perhaps it was predictable that the Atlanta Braves and the St. Louis Cardinals would push one of their postseason duels beyond the constraints of nine innings.

It happened just in time on Monday: With the Cardinals on the brink of elimination, the teams went to the 10th inning and saw their National League division series extended when a sacrifice fly by Yadier Molina gave St. Louis a 5-4 win and forced a Game 5.

The winner in Atlanta on Wednesday will advance to the N.L. Championship Series, scheduled to start on Friday.

But Atlanta must first reckon with a game that the Braves will remember for missed opportunities and debatable decisions, and both teams must recover from an afternoon of wildly swinging emotions.