ST. LOUIS -- The Pirates are mastering the art of the dramatic, opening-day victory.

Jack Wilson's bases-clearing double capped a four-run rally in the top of the ninth inning -- all after two outs -- to cap a 6-4 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals this afternoon at Busch Stadium.

"What a great feeling," Wilson of standing on second base, where he twice pumped his fists and clapped. "All the guys did such a great job."

Adam LaRoche's RBI single off St. Louis' 26-year-old rookie closer, Jason Motte, with two outs in the ninth pulled the Pirates within one, and pinch-hitter Eric Hinske doubled him to third. Brandon Moss was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Wilson quickly dug an 0-2 hole, and the 45,832 in attendance rose to their feet, but he drilled a 96-mph fastball -- the third in a row he saw -- to the fence in left-center, and everyone came around to score.

The place, already somewhat emptied because of the 30-degree temperatures, fell silent.

It was the Pirates' third consecutive thriller in an opening victory. The previous two years, they won in extra innings in Houston and Atlanta, each time coming from behind.

"We gave ourselves a chance to win, and that's the thing you like to see," manager John Russell said. "These guys don't quit."

"There were a lot of good at-bats out there," said second baseman Freddy Sanchez, who started the inning with a double. "This is huge for us. It felt like we carried a lot of our spring training into this game. We got a lot of big hits and really pulled together."

It surely helped that Motte's reputation was for throwing hard, and nothing but. The Pirates' scouting report were to watch for fastballs, so they grew increasingly -- and obviously -- more comfortable timing his pitches as the inning progressed.

"He throws hard, but he's going to get hit hard if he doesn't find something else to go with it," LaRoche said. "As a hitter, you just need to get your foot down and start everything a little early."

Closer Matt Capps recorded the save.

Tyler Yates had given up Ryan Ludwick's home run in the eighth that put the Cardinals ahead, 3-2.

Yates then walked Chris Duncan and was relieved by John Grabow, who promptly gave up Skip Schumaker's pinch-hit single to put men at the corners. David Freese hit a sacrifice fly to right, one greatly assisted by poor throw to home plate by Moss, and it was 4-2.

The Pirates' Paul Maholm pitched 6 2/3 mostly efficient innings -- two runs, seven hits, 89 pitches -- despite the cold giving him some trouble with his breaking pitches.

"It's not that the cold affects you," he said. "But it does make the ball kind of cold and a little hard to grip."

Nyjer Morgan, batting in the leadoff spot despite a .238 spring, went 3 for 5 with two RBIs and a steal.

"I'm just staying within myself, getting the boys going," Morgan said. "Start the fire, you know?"

The Pirates stranded five runners through three innings -- they would leave 11 for the game -- and St. Louis leapt to a 2-0 lead in the third.

It began with third baseman Andy LaRoche muffing a two-bouncer from the opposing pitcher, Adam Wainwright, and it culminated with bases-loaded RBI singles by Khalil Greene and Ryan Ludwick.

LaRoche's error -- the first of two on the day -- sprung the leak, but Maholm gave up four hits in the inning.

The Pirates had been 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position through five -- and the lone success did not score a run -- but finally broke through with a big hit in the sixth: Morgan stepped to the plate with bases loaded and two outs and, even though St. Louis manager Tony La Russa summoned left-handed Trever Miller to face him, he looped a two-run single into left-center to tie.

The Pirates are 66-57 in openers, having won the two before this one.