Japanese television stuck to its live coverage from Miami for almost two hours after Japan defeated the United States 3-2 to win the World Baseball Classic.

This was must see viewing 鈥� over and over and over.

Shohei Ohtani striking out Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout on a pitch away to end the game was replayed repeatedly between player interviews, beer-sprayed clubhouse interludes, and the traditional 鈥渄oage鈥� 鈥� team members tossing the winning manager and players into the air.

The country鈥檚 top circulating newspaper Yomiuri rolled out a special Wednesday afternoon edition for commuters, usually reserved for serious matters of state, late-breaking election news, or as it was last year 鈥� the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

鈥淛apan, the World鈥檚 No. 1,鈥� the headline read in Japanese, with commuters at Shibuya station pushing and shoving to grab the collector鈥檚 item.

provided a distraction from economic malaise, missile threats from North Korea, and China鈥檚 rise across Asia and its implications for Japan.

It also gave a boost in Japan to baseball, which has been challenged by soccer as the country鈥檚 favorite sport. Japan is unlikely in the short-term to win soccer鈥檚 World Cup, but its baseball is world class. It has won three of the five WBC titles, dating to the first event in 2006.

Japan joined the Dominican Republic in 2013 as the only unbeaten champions of baseball鈥檚 premier national team tournament.

鈥淚 was OK with either losing or winning,鈥� said Hiroya Kuroda, a 44-year-old in a crowd of about 400 watching the game in a studio at Tokyo Tower. 鈥淏ut I was very moved by the fact that they showed us a dramatic game on that stage in the United States.鈥�

Toshiya Ishii, a 29-year-old fan, broke down crying at the victory.

鈥淭hank you Ohtani,鈥� he said. 鈥滳ongratulations Samurai Japan. Thank you.鈥�

Reports in Japan say Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, just back from Ukraine and , is to meet with the Japanese team when it returns to Tokyo.

Japan beat the Americans at their own game, and it wasn鈥檛 the first time.

American teachers and missionaries popularized the game in Japan in the 1870s and 1880s, but it was a game in 1896 in Yokohama between Americans and Japanese that Japan won 29-4 that helped baseball take root in the country.

, the St. Louis Cardinals outfielder who was the first to play for Japan by ancestry. He spoke in a television interview after the game, and then hugged his mother, Kumiko, who was standing alongside.

鈥淣ippon daisuki,鈥� Nootbaar said in Japanese. 鈥淎rigato.鈥�

鈥淚 love Japan. Thank you.鈥�

Nootbaar, Ohtani, pitcher Yu Darvish, and manager Hideki Kuriyama were among those tossed into the air by celebrating teammates.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 the first time I鈥檝e ever been lifted up like that before,鈥� Nootbaar said. 鈥淚 hope I got a picture of it because that鈥檚 something that I want to remember forever.鈥�

鈥擲tephen Wade, The Associated Press