SEOUL, South Korea (Interstat) — In a stark reversal of both recent form and pregame projections, the Lotte Giants, behind a masterful performance from starter Kim Jin-uk, shut out the first-place LG Twins 2-0 on Wednesday evening at a subdued Jamsil Stadium.

A crowd of 23,750 watched as the Giants, installed as underdogs by Interstat’s game simulator which projected a 7-2 Twins victory and gave LG a 70.7% win probability, flipped the script entirely. They relied on stingy pitching and two timely hits to snap a two-game skid and hand the Twins just their fifth loss of the season.

The victory improved Lotte’s record to 6-9, while the Twins fell to 10-5.

The story of the night was Kim Jin-uk. The right-hander continued his excellent early-season form, dominating a potent LG lineup over 6 2/3 scoreless innings. He allowed just three hits, walked one and struck out five to earn his second win against no losses. He has now pitched 14 2/3 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run, following an eight-inning, one-run victory over the KT Wiz on April 8.

Kim was matched nearly pitch-for-pitch through seven innings by LG’s Lachlan Wells, who took a hard-luck loss to fall to 1-1. Wells was brilliant, scattering three hits and one walk over seven frames while striking out three. The lone blemish on his line was a solo home run.

That decisive blow came in the top of the third inning. With two outs and the game still scoreless, Lotte catcher Son Seong-bin connected on a Wells offering, driving it over the wall for his first home run of the season. The solo shot provided the only run Kim would need, but it stood as the game’s only offense until a tense eighth inning.

Lotte threatened in the fourth when Han Dong-hui doubled with two outs but was stranded, and again in the fifth when Han Tae-yang doubled and moved to third on a groundout, but could not score.

LG, meanwhile, struggled to mount any sustained threat against Kim. Their best chance came in the bottom of the fifth. After two quick outs, Hong Chang-ki singled and Park Dong-won walked. Kim responded by striking out Shin Min-jae to end the inning. The Twins put a runner on third in the seventh after a leadoff walk to Oh Ji-hwan and a pair of productive outs, but Kim struck out Park Dong-won to preserve the 1-0 lead and end his night after 108 pitches.

The Giants provided crucial insurance in the top of the eighth against the LG bullpen. Han Tae-yang drew a leadoff walk from reliever Kim Young-woo. Son Seong-bin successfully sacrificed him to second, and after a strikeout, Jo-jo Reyes was intentionally walked. Pinch-hitter Jang Du-seong, batting for Son Ho-young, then delivered the key hit, a sharp single to right field that scored Han Tae-yang. Jo-jo Reyes aggressively took third on the play and Jang Du-seong took second on the throw, but they were left stranded.

That extra run proved monumental as Lotte’s bullpen navigated the final two innings. Park Jeong-min worked a scoreless eighth, stranding a walk. In the ninth, closer Choi Jun-yong was flawless, striking out two in a perfect frame to secure his third save of the season and seal the 2-0 victory.

The game’s most critical sequence, beyond Son Seong-bin’s early homer, was Kim Jin-uk’s escape in the fifth and his final pitch in the seventh. With two on in the fifth, he used a strikeout to snuff out LG’s first genuine scoring opportunity. Then, with the tying run 90 feet away in the seventh, he dug deep for one more strikeout, handing a one-run lead to his bullpen and setting the stage for the eighth-inning insurance run.

The offensive output was minimal, with Lotte managing only four hits to LG’s three. The combined two runs shattered the pregame over/under line of 9.5, while Lotte’s victory defied the -1.5 spread favoring the Twins.

The two teams meet again Thursday at Jamsil to conclude their three-game series. Lotte will look to build momentum as they return home to face the Hanwha Eagles for a three-game set starting Friday. The Twins, after Thursday’s finale, hit the road for a three-game weekend series against the Samsung Lions in Daegu.