Harper’s two homers plenty to bark about

The Las Vegas High and College of Southern Nevada product launched two long home runs, including a tiebreaking drive in the eighth inning, and also doubled Saturday to lead the Washington Nationals over the New York Mets 7-6 at Citi Field.

About 500 dogs paraded around the warning track before the game as part of an annual pooch promotion that many teams hold. Harper, who owns a young chocolate Labrador retriever named Swag, enjoyed the procession.

“I saw them. It was awesome,” he said.

Almost as impressive as his power show.

Harper hit a two-run homer to right-center in the third. He then hit the first pitch from Josh Edgin (0-1) in the eighth even farther and harder to right-center for his seventh home run.

“That one pitch came back and bit me,” Edgin said.

The 20-year-old All-Star has four multihomer games in not quite a full year in the majors. Harper walked in his other plate appearance and is hitting .371 this season.

“He crushed a couple of balls. What a day he had,” Nationals manager Davey Johnson said.

Harper soon will have an adoring admirer. His dog is with his family now in Las Vegas, but Swag soon will join his owner.

“He’s coming to live with me in about two weeks,” Harper said. “He’s a great dog; I can’t wait to have him.”

Adam LaRoche and Ian Desmond also homered for the Nationals before a crowd of 24,325. Fans paid $35 for tickets in the second deck in right field and brought their dogs for $10.

Washington finished with seven hits, all for extra-base hits.

The Mets didn’t homer for the first time in eight home games. They do, however, have a history that links homers and dogs: Before the big-headed Mr. Met, their first mascot was a beagle named Homer.

In 1962, Homer was supposed to run around the bases at the Polo Grounds after the Mets connected. The first time he tried to do it in a game, the story goes, he reached second base and took off on a sprint for center field.

LaRoche hit a three-run homer in the fifth that put Washington ahead 6-5. The Mets tied it in the seventh when Daniel Murphy hustled for an infield hit and scored on John Buck’s two-out double, helped when Desmond bobbled the relay at shortstop.

Tyler Clippard (1-0) got four outs for the win, and Rafael Soriano closed for his sixth save.

Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez gave up five runs in the fourth with two outs. He looked uncomfortable, crouching on the mound before giving up two-run singles to Collin Cowgill and Justin Turner and an RBI single to Daniel Murphy.

Gonzalez, who led the majors with 21 wins last year, is 1-1 with a 5.85 ERA after four starts.