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HOUSTON — For about seven decades, it was a foolproof way to lose the World Series: Drop the first two games at home, and you’re finished. The first nine times a team did that — from the 1914 Philadelphia Athletics to the 1972 Cincinnati Reds — it never recovered.
That is where the Houston Astros found themselves late Wednesday night, after a tight Game 2 devolved into a 12-3 thrashing by the Washington Nationals at Minute Maid Park. The teams head to Nationals Park for Game 3 on Friday, and the Astros will pack their swagger.