Standing ovation as first female umpire for Major League Baseball takes to the pitch

Jen Pawol has made US sporting history by becoming the first female umpire to referee a Major League Baseball (MLB) game during the regular season.

Pawol, 48, oversaw first base during Saturday's game between the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves.

"I'm aware of the gravity. I'm aware of the magnitude," she said, as quoted by MLB.com.

Pawol looked overjoyed as she was welcomed to the pitch in Atlanta, Georgia, by cheers and a standing ovation.

"It was pretty amazing when we took the field, and it seemed like quite a few people started clapping and saying my name, so that was pretty intense and very emotional," she said after the game.

During the match, supporters in the stands held signs, including "Pawol making HERstory," and "the time has come for one & all to play ball".

To mark the occasion, after the game Pawol donated the hat she wore to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

Pawol is set to return to the field on Saturday night, when she will be responsible for third base.

All eyes will be on her on Sunday, when she stands behind home plate, calling balls and strikes, in the final match of the three-game series.

Pawol, a native of New Jersey, has worked for years as an umpire in the minor leagues and has overseen more than 1,200 games in her more than 30-year career, MLB reported.

In the stands to support her were a bevy of some 30 family and friends, including current players, managers and umpires.

Her entry into MLB comes 28 years after the NBA allowed its first female basketball referee. The National Football League (NFL) hired its first female official 10 years ago, while men's soccer World Cup hired a female referee three years ago.

The National Hockey League has yet to see a female referee.