Japanese baseball circles on Tuesday celebrated the county's triumph at the World Baseball Classic with a victory over Cuba in the championship final.

Former Yomiuri Giants manager Shigeo Nagashima congratulated his old teammate and friend Sadaharu Oh as well as his players for winning the title of the inaugural tournament, which fielded major league players representing their countries for the first time.

"I feel happy and thrilled and I believe people across Japan feel the same way too," Nagashima said in a comment issued through a Yomiuri spokesman after Japan's 10-6 victory in San Diego.