Altuve kicks offseason into gear with soccer

HOUSTON — We all know Jose Altuve knows baseball. But he knows soccer, too? Growing up in Venezuela, Altuve had no choice but to try his hand at soccer as well as baseball, though he certainly appears to have picked the right sport.

Altuve, who entered Wednesday leading the American League in batting average by 50 points, probably could have been a decent soccer player considering his speed and coordination. In fact, he likes to still dabble in the occasional soccer game in the offseason to keep in shape. But don’t worry, Astros fans — it’s more about running wind sprints down the field than tackling, so Altuve’s friends know to take it easy on him.

“I actually still [play soccer] in the offseason,” Altuve said. “When I don’t feel like doing cardio or something, I’m going to go out there and play soccer with my friends. They know they have to be careful with me, but we have a lot of fun playing soccer.”

Altuve keeps himself in …

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