The spark was so familiar.

Josh Harrison rounded third base and summoned his inner James Harrison.

The Pittsburgh utility man plowed through St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina in the second inning of Tuesday night’s 9-0 win over the Cardinals. Harrison was out, but the collision supplied energy the Pirates so desperately needed.

As a New England native and lifelong Red Sox fan, it immediately reminded me of 2004.

Boston had lost seven of its last 11 heading into a July 24 meeting with the New York Yankees. Bronson Arroyo plunked Alex Rodriguez, prompting A-Rod to start barking, before Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek provided some bite by introducing his catcher’s mitt to the third baseman’s face.

It jolted Boston to an emotional victory, improving to nine games over .500.

Just like those Red Sox, the Pirates had lost seven of their past 11 and last night’s win put them nine games above .500.

Boston went on to win a long-awaited World Series. Pittsburgh probably won’t.

But the principle remains the same.

The Cardinals have used the Pirates as perennial punching bags. History said the Bucs should have laid down. Instead, they showed some unfamiliar fight.

After a prolonged stretch of shoddy baseball, Pittsburgh was reminded the Pirates can play well.

James McDonald was back to being the pitcher he was in the first half of the season, Pedro Alvarez pounded two towering home runs and the Pirates dominated the defending World Series champions.

I don’t know if last night’s blowout will have any profound effect on the 2012 Pirates.

Looking back on 2004, I can assure you it’s the kind of game that makes being a fan fun.

Once upon a time, Boston was a bunch of lovable losers, too. After the historic ’04 season was followed by another World Series in 2007, that all changed.

Ownership turned the Red Sox brand into a cash cow, bought every notable free agent in sight and sold the sanctity of Fenway Park along the way.

Thoughts of a championship went from being a punch line to the standard. The Red Sox morphed into the new Yankees. It was sickening.

Pittsburgh fans have clamored for the Pirates to spend big money on a big name. Please, stop.

Over the offseason, the Angels dumped $240 million into Albert Pujols and the Tigers unloaded $214 million on Prince Fielder.

An exciting winter for Los Angeles and Detroit has turned into a dull summer. Small-market squads like Oakland, Tampa Bay and Baltimore all sit ahead of them in the standings.

The best part of being a baseball fan is watching players grow, not a team’s salary.

After the Dodgers absorbed over $250 million of Boston’s free-spending blunders in a blockbuster trade this weekend, I’m lucky to see my team start from scratch.

I want to see infuriating inconsistency from prospects like McDonald, Alvarez and Jose Tabata. I want to see scrappy, do-it-all role players like Josh Harrison earn their keep.

It’s important to appreciate the process of incremental improvement.

To some, a first-place finish defines success. But the journey from mediocrity is where memories are created.

Jason Orfao is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.