About 25,000 fans turned out at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday, August 2. 20, to watch the hometown Phillies take on the Seattle Mariners. Across the state and a few hours later, more than 34,000 people came out to cheer on another Philadelphia team as it took on a Las Vegas team.

The struggling Phillies had a better day, as they topped the playoff contending Mariners 4-3, while Taney’s Dragons succumbed to a powerhouse team from Nevada’s Mountain Ridge, 8-1, in the World Series. Little League in South Williamsport. Yet hardly anyone in Pennsylvania really cared how the Phillies fared. On that day, the Dragons were the most popular sports roster in the Keystone State, and maybe America.

The reason, of course, was Mo’ne Davis, the Dragons’ star pitcher, who became the youngest athlete and the first Little Leaguer to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Davis, 13, is a girl competing at the highest levels (for her age group) of a sport that has long relegated girls to the stands. World War II gave rise to the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, which operated from 1942 to 1954 and was remembered in the 1992 film “A League of Their Own.” The movie was a favorite in my home when my daughters were growing up.

And Davis is far from the first girl to play Little League baseball. That distinction belongs to Kathryn Johnston Massar, who posed as a child and called Tubby Johnston to play one season in upstate New York in 1950. The following year, Little League officials adopted a rule that prohibited playing to the girls. They called it the Tubby Rule, and it stayed on the books until 1974, when several girls across the country sued and lobbied local officials (who often provided fields for Little League use) for the right to play with the boys.

Davis isn’t even the first girl to play in the LLWS; she is 18 and one of two girls in this year’s competition. The other was Kayla Roncin of Toms River, New Jersey, whose team was eliminated earlier in the tournament.

But he rose to national attention last week when he pitched a two-hit shutout against Tennessee on Aug. 1. 15, becoming the first pitcher to win a game in the LLWS. It was his second consecutive complete-game shutout; the first was the match that qualified her team for the tournament.

Davis became instant box office magic. It was reported that 32,148 people attended the event on August 1. 17 Dragons against Texas, even though Davis wasn’t pitching. They just wanted to watch her play and root for her so she would have another shot at the mound. The crowd got her wish as the Dragons rallied for a 7-6 victory, allowing the team to advance to the final on August 10. 20 game against Nevada.

Davis didn’t fare nearly as well in the next game he pitched after his shutout on Sunday. He allowed a run on a pair of hard-hit balls in the first inning and a two-run home run in the second. Her coach pulled her off the mound after she recorded one out in the third inning to keep her pitch count down and keep her eligible for a possible rematch against Nevada. The team, however, lost to Chicago on August 2. 21, so they never got that far.

I regularly took my two daughters to Mets and Yankee games when they were growing up. We used to talk about who could become the first female player in the Major Leagues. We come to the conclusion that whoever it is will probably be a pitcher. Although being able to throw hard is a huge advantage, and bigger bodies make pitchers tougher, it’s possible to be successful on the mound simply by throwing a ball with movement and accuracy. There’s no reason a woman can’t do that just as well as a man.

The path to the big leagues goes through the American minor leagues. Very few minor league ballparks can hold as many fans as Davis drew to Williamsport this week, and one of the hallmarks of the minor leagues is the struggle to fill even the seats they do have. At least a half dozen minor league owners would probably jump at the chance to put Davis on his club right now, when he’s only 13 years old. But don’t worry; major league affiliate deals won’t let them.

Still, Davis’ success and the following she has attracted show just how ready America is to accept and embrace a female baseball player in today’s all-male professional leagues. Her gender may be a draw for fans, but only because we want to cheer on a trailblazer. Her teammates and rival players have already recognized that she is a good athlete and a worthy competitor. We have also seen this recognition in other sports that have become co-ed, such as golf.

Maybe in a decade or so, we’ll have a chance to see Davis play in the big leagues. The odds are against it, but someone has to go first, and she has shown as much potential as anyone else. One thing is for sure: When the first female baseball player takes the field for a major league team, a lot of people will be watching.