BOSTON — The Giants and Red Sox both found themselves in limbo.

Fenway Park’s lights flashed and “Dirty Water” by The Standells blared, but when Wilyer Abreu’s walk-off fielder’s choice went to replay review, both teams stopped and turned their attention to the video board. The Red Sox had already spilled out of the dugout but had to put their celebration on hold. Most of the Giants’ defenders gathered in the infield, hoping for the safe call to be overturned.

For San Francisco, the overturn never arrived. The call stood, confirming that the Giants had blown a two-run, ninth-inning lead and lost 3-2 to the Red Sox in walk-off fashion. On a night that featured plenty of highlights, from Blade Tidwell’s strong start to Dylan Smith’s gutsy relief appearance to Andrew Knizner’s big night, San Francisco couldn’t avoid its 11th walk-off loss of the season.

“It’s a heartbreaking loss; there’s no other way to put it,” said manager Tony Vitello.

Smith had already done plenty by escaping a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the eighth, but Vitello sent him out for the ninth. Vitello wanted Smith to face the right-handed hitting Caleb Durbin before going to lefty Sam Hentges, but the move didn’t pan out as Smith walked Durbin on four pitches. To the left-hander he went.

Hentges put the tying run on base by plunking pinch-hitter Jahmai Jones, then Red Sox put runners on the corners as Andruw Monasterio beat out a potential double play ball. Unlike the eighth, the Red Sox wouldn’t waste their opportunity.

Pinch-hitter Eli White followed by sneaking a soft line drive up the middle to drive in Durbin, cutting the Giants’ lead to 2-1. The next batter, Sogard, pulled a hanging breaking ball from Hentges off the Green Monster, driving in Monasterio and tying the game.

The Giants (52-77) intentionally walked Rafaela to load the bases, bringing Abreu to the plate with the winning run just 90 feet away. Abreu hit a smash to first baseman Bryce Eldridge, who dove to knock it down, then fired a throw home. The throw arrived in time but landed several feet short, forcing Knizner in an awkward position to make a difficult pick. Knizner secured the ball, but the winning run scored as Knizner couldn’t get his foot on the plate.

“I didn’t really see a whole lot,” Knizner said. “I was diving back trying to catch the ball. Eldridge made a nice play to catch that ball, make a throw and get it out. It’s a do-or-die play. It’s just tough. Things happen so fast. I don’t know if I held the base or not. It’s hard to feel because it’s flat on the ground, but obviously, they went to replay and upheld. Just a tough way to lose a game.”

Knizner added: “There’s a lot of really good points in that game that are going to get overlooked because of the last play. Sometimes, you just got to take a look at the whole game. Obviously, we want to win every single game, but there’s a lot of positives you can take from it.”

One of those positives was Smith, who escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the bottom of the eighth to put the Giants in a position to win in the ninth.

San Francisco entered the bottom of the eighth inning leading 2-0, but reliever Carson Seymour allowed the tying runs to reach base when Mickey Gasper hit a leadoff double, then Nick Sogard followed by drawing a walk. With the game hanging in the balance, Vitello went to Smith, who recorded a six-out save on Wednesday against the Cleveland Guardians.

Smith allowed Boston to load the bases when Ceddanne Rafaela lined a single over a leaping Willy Adames, leaving him with no margin for error against the heart of Boston’s lineup. With his back against the wall, Smith kept the Giants’ lead intact.

The rookie right-hander then quieted the raucous crowd by striking out Abreu swinging, then sat down Willson Contreras looking following a failed challenge. That brought to the plate three-time All-Star Adley Rutschman, who was still in search of his first signature moment as a Red Sox. Rutschman drove a fastball from Smith to center, but Drew Gilbert nestled under the fly ball without issue to end the inning.

“That was incredible,” Knizner said. “He came guns blazing right down their throat, pretty much. Just fastballs right past guys. That’s tough to do against a good-hitting team, especially in a big part of their order, middle part of their order. He just went right after them.”

There was also Tidwell, who matched his career-high in innings (5 2/3) and also set a career-high in strikeouts (seven). The outing was all the more impressive given that he had to navigate a raucous Saturday night crowd, which he described as a “pretty electric atmosphere.”

“I haven’t been a part of an atmosphere that loud, maybe Omaha in college,” Tidwell said. “It was definitely memorable.”

Knizner, who opted out of his minor-league contract with Boston before signing with San Francisco, hit his first major-league home run in more than a year and matched his career-high of three hits, while Willy Adames hit his 21st home run of the year in the top of the first.

Up next

Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson will start the Giants’ series finale against Boston after making his major-league debut on Wednesday, tossing two scoreless innings as an opener to Adrian Houser. It is unclear whether Wilkinson will be used more as a traditional starter or an opener.