Ohtani shows off his electrifying arm in Japan All-Star Series outing

Shohei Ohtani's debut as a starting pitcher in the Japan Series wasn't perfect, but it did feature glimpses of the immense potential that has MLB fans already keeping tabs on the 20-year-old phenom.

Starting Game 5 for Samurai Japan in Sapporo following one inning of relief in Game 1, Ohtani was the one player everyone had their eye on, with good reason: he posted a 2.61 ERA and 179 strikeouts in just under 156 innings pitched in 2014, including an NPB-record-tying 101-mph fastball. And though he hasn't been at the plate in the Japan Series, Ohtani can also hit, as his .274 batting average and 10 home runs in 2014 can attest. So everyone wanted to know: What could Ohtani do in an extended matchup against the best of MLB?

The results were mixed, but it's undeniable Ohtani has some fire stuff in his arsenal.

While he gave up two runs on six hits in four innings pitched, Ohtani also struck out seven, including three straight in the first following a leadoff single:

And perhaps most impressive were his two straight strikeouts in the bottom of the third, as Ohtani worked himself out of a bases-loaded jam:

It might not have been the utterly dominating performance that some were expecting, but the young Ohtani certainly proved why he's already garnering attention from across the Pacific.