GWANGJU (Interstat) — Kim Jin-uk tossed six scoreless innings and Han Dong-hui hit a grand slam to lead the Lotte Giants past the Kia Tigers 4-1 on Sunday evening at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, South Korea. Lotte, the visiting team, improved to 63-75-6. Kia, the home team, fell to 77-63-5. The game took 2 hours, 44 minutes and drew an attendance of 20,500.

Kim Jin-uk earned the win after limiting Kia to three hits over six innings. He struck out six, walked one and did not allow an earned run. The victory moved him to 7-7 on the season. Kim’s start was the game’s most important performance, and it came after a difficult previous outing. He kept Kia off balance throughout the evening and departed with the lead.

Lotte’s decisive inning came in the fifth, when the Giants scored all four of their runs. Víctor Reyes singled, Na Seung-yeup reached on an infield single and Go Seung-min walked to load the bases. Han Dong-hui then drove a pitch to center field for a grand slam, clearing the bases and giving Lotte a lead it would not surrender. Han finished 1-for-4 with one home run and four RBIs. The blast accounted for all of Lotte’s scoring and stood as the game’s biggest swing.

Jung Hai-young was sharp in relief for Kia, pitching one and one-third scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Adam Oller took the loss after allowing four earned runs on six hits over five and two-thirds innings, walking two and striking out five. Choi Jun-yong threw a scoreless inning for Lotte with one hit and one strikeout. Hwang Dong-ha pitched a scoreless inning with no hits. Kim Won-jung added a scoreless inning with no hits and one strikeout. Kim Beom-su pitched a scoreless inning with no hits, one walk and one strikeout. Iimura Shota allowed one run on two hits in one inning with one strikeout. Harold Castro had two hits in four at-bats for Kia.

Kia’s only run came in the eighth. Iimura Shota allowed that earned run on two hits in one inning of relief. The Tigers finished with six hits, matching Lotte’s total, but Kia could not string together enough offense against Kim Jin-uk and the Lotte bullpen. Harold Castro provided one of the few consistent threats in the Tigers’ lineup.

Lotte had earlier chances but was turned away in the first. Víctor Reyes doubled down the left-field line, but Han Dong-hui grounded into a double play to end the threat. Kia also put runners on in the first when Han Jun-su walked and Harold Castro singled, but Kim Jin-uk struck out Na Sung-bum to end the inning. Kim then settled in and retired the side in order in the second.

Kia had a scoring chance in the fourth. Na Sung-bum singled to center and Kim Sun-bin was hit by a pitch. A double-steal attempt moved the runners, but Kim Jin-uk escaped without allowing a run. Kim Tae-gun grounded out in the fifth, and Park Min and Park Jae-hyun struck out as Kim finished his outing with a clean fifth. He left after six innings with the lead intact.

The early innings moved quickly. Kim Jin-uk worked around a two-out single by Park Jae-hyun in the third. Lotte’s Jang Du-seong singled in the third, but Cho Se-jin struck out and Reyes grounded out. In the fourth, Kia put two runners on, but Kim induced a fielder’s choice and a double steal did not produce a run. Kia’s bullpen then kept Lotte off the board in the seventh and eighth, but the Tigers could not close the gap.

Lotte’s defense also helped. The Giants turned double plays behind Kim Jin-uk and kept Kia from building momentum. Kia’s best contact came from Castro, who singled in the first and added another hit later. But the Tigers managed only one run, which came too late to change the outcome. Lotte’s six hits were enough because the Giants made the most of their one big inning.

The Giants’ victory came after Kia had won the most recent meeting between the teams. Lotte entered the game looking to rebound from a recent loss to LG, while Kia had won its previous game against Shinsegae Landers. Kim Jin-uk’s strong start gave the Giants exactly what they needed. Lotte improved to 63-75-6, while Kia dropped to 77-63-5. The win was Lotte’s 63rd of the season and Kia’s 63rd loss. Lotte’s record includes six ties, while Kia has five.

Lotte will next face Doosan, while Kia will host LG. The Giants will look to carry the pitching performance into their next game, and the Tigers will try to recover from a quiet night at the plate. Both teams return to action in their next scheduled games.

Kia went down in order in the sixth when Han Jun-su struck out, Kim Do-yeong flied out to right and Castro struck out. Lotte then went quietly in the seventh as Son Seong-bin struck out, Jeon Jun-woo grounded out to short and Jang Du-seong struck out. Kia’s Na Sung-bum lined out to first in the seventh, Kim Sun-bin grounded out to short and Kim Ho-ryung struck out. Lotte put a runner on in the eighth when Na Seung-yeup walked, but Go Seung-min flied out to left. Kia’s eighth-inning run ended the shutout, and Lotte closed out the win in the ninth with three flyouts.

Lotte’s bullpen finished with four innings of one-run relief. Choi Jun-yong, Kim Won-jung and Iimura Shota each took the mound, with Choi and Kim combining for two scoreless innings. Iimura allowed Kia’s only run in the eighth. Kia’s bullpen, meanwhile, combined for three and one-third scoreless innings after Oller left. Jung Hai-young was especially effective, striking out three over one and one-third innings. Hwang Dong-ha and Kim Beom-su each added a scoreless inning.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Lotte Giants 4, Kia Tigers 8. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Kia with a 62.3 percent probability to win. The actual result saw Lotte overcome that projection behind Kim and Han.