Another factor has nothing to do with who will throw the pitches or swing the bats. The Astros may have gotten all the good luck they need when the Dynamo re-signed defender Jalil Anibaba earlier this year.
Anibaba played with three MLS teams from 2011-2015. At all three stops, another professional team in that city won a championship.
He played for the Chicago Fire when the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2013.
He played for Seattle Sounders FC when the Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl in 2014.
He played for Sporting Kansas City when the Kansas City Royals won the World Series in 2015.