Blake Tidwell’s Giants Debut Features First MLB Save and Condiments

Blake Tidwell’s last pitch led to a strikeout. The San Francisco Giants had beaten his former team, the New York Mets. His catcher, Daniel Susac handed him the baseball.

He was taken aback by the gesture. He asked why and the answer surprised him.

“I actually didn’t know it was a save and Susac handed me the ball,” he said to reporters after the game. “I was like, ‘Why are you handing me the ball and he said, ‘Bro, that’s a save.’”

There are only three ways to get a save in Major League Baseball. One is to pitch at least three innings to close a game. That’s what Tidwell did on Thursday. Called up hours before he pitched, he threw against the team that traded him to the Giants in July and tossed three scoreless innings.

Blake Tidwell’s Big Night

“Yeah, I almost threw up.”

- Rookie reliever Blade Tidwell shares how he wasn’t aware he recorded a save until his catcher Daniel Susac handed him the ball. He also shares how he was showered postgame with beers, ketchup and mustard 🥳🤢 pic.twitter.com/o8WKYQAFUR
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) April 3, 2026

The moment wasn’t lost on his teammates, either. After the game he told reporters that he got a beer shower in the clubhouse and mentioned that “condiments” were involved in the celebration.

“Yeah, I almost threw up,” Tidwell said.

He entered the game in the seventh inning after Ryan Walker, who typically closes, came in after starter Robbie Ray to record the final two outs of the sixth inning. At the time, San Francisco was armed with a five-run lead.

The 24-year-old right-hander had already appeared in one game at Triple-A Sacramento. He allowed no runs and no hits in 2.2 innings, as he struck out three and walked one.

Tidwell gave up two hits, the first of which was to Mets veteran Marcus Semien to lead off the seventh. The following hitter, Francisco Alvarez, grounded into a double play, followed by a Tyrone Taylor groundout. He gave up another hit in the eighth to Juan Soto with one out, but the following batter, Bo Bichette, lined into a double play.

He retired the side in order in the ninth, striking out Luis Robert Jr. and Mark Vientos back-to-back to end the game.

While Tidwell didn’t know he recorded a save, he could remember the last time he got a save — 2022. That was back when he was pitching for Giants manager Tony Vitello at Tennessee. He even remembered the opponent, which was Mississippi State.

Tidwell was promoted after the Giants placed right-handed pitcher José Buttó on the 15-day injured list with right arm fatigue. This gives the former Mets starter a chance to prove he can be a part of San Francisco’s bullpen solution. He got off to a great start on Thursday.