SEATTLE — It was 6:13 p.m., 31 minutes before J.P. France’s boyhood dream would become reality. His wife, Jessica, was juggling her nerves and her baby, 3-month-old Liam. France’s best friend, Ryan Silva, had just left with the baby to receive a certificate commemorating France’s first major-league game. “Should say daddy’s first start,” Silva said while showing Jessica the piece of paper.
“That was his (J.P.’s) first dream in life,” Jessica said, pointing to Liam. “And parallel to that dream was becoming a major-league baseball player.”
Jessica and J.P. typify the term odd couple: a reality television star and a drawl-speaking Southerner who’d rather bow hunt or play baseball than anything else in the world. Jessica appeared in MTV mega-hits “The Real World” and “The Challenge.” She starred under her maiden name, McCain, and earned a cult following.
Fame faded and Jessica’s mother wondered whether she would ever marry or have kids. To calm her down, Jessica downloaded Bumble and swiped right on a minor-league pitcher playing for the Astros’ High-A affiliate in Fayetteville, N.C.
“I completely turned my whole life around for him,” Jessica said. “I was working in Aspen as a chef, had a company car and a mountainside condo and was…
