diff --git a/server/src/internalClusterTest/java/org/elasticsearch/search/sort/FieldSortIT.java b/server/src/internalClusterTest/java/org/elasticsearch/search/sort/FieldSortIT.java
index da95bcc4b45..92aa113e25e 100644
--- a/server/src/internalClusterTest/java/org/elasticsearch/search/sort/FieldSortIT.java
+++ b/server/src/internalClusterTest/java/org/elasticsearch/search/sort/FieldSortIT.java
@@ -1768,7 +1768,7 @@ public class FieldSortIT extends ESIntegTestCase {
         {
             SearchResponse response = client().prepareSearch()
                 .setQuery(matchAllQuery())
-                .setSize(builders.size())
+                .setSize(2)
                 .addSort(SortBuilders.fieldSort("field").setNumericType("date"))
                 .get();
             SearchHits hits = response.getHits();
@@ -1779,12 +1779,36 @@ public class FieldSortIT extends ESIntegTestCase {
             }
             assertEquals(1712879236854L, hits.getAt(0).getSortValues()[0]);
             assertEquals(1712879237000L, hits.getAt(1).getSortValues()[0]);
+
+            response = client().prepareSearch()
+                .setMaxConcurrentShardRequests(1)
+                .setQuery(matchAllQuery())
+                .setSize(1)
+                .addSort(SortBuilders.fieldSort("field").setNumericType("date"))
+                .get();
+            hits = response.getHits();
+
+            assertEquals(1, hits.getHits().length);
+            assertThat(hits.getAt(0).getSortValues()[0].getClass(), equalTo(Long.class));
+            assertEquals(1712879236854L, hits.getAt(0).getSortValues()[0]);
+
+            response = client().prepareSearch()
+                .setMaxConcurrentShardRequests(1)
+                .setQuery(matchAllQuery())
+                .setSize(1)
+                .addSort(SortBuilders.fieldSort("field").order(SortOrder.DESC).setNumericType("date"))
+                .get();
+            hits = response.getHits();
+
+            assertEquals(1, hits.getHits().length);
+            assertThat(hits.getAt(0).getSortValues()[0].getClass(), equalTo(Long.class));
+            assertEquals(1712879237000L, hits.getAt(0).getSortValues()[0]);
         }
 
         {
             SearchResponse response = client().prepareSearch()
                 .setQuery(matchAllQuery())
-                .setSize(builders.size())
+                .setSize(2)
                 .addSort(SortBuilders.fieldSort("field").setNumericType("date_nanos"))
                 .get();
             SearchHits hits = response.getHits();
@@ -1794,6 +1818,28 @@ public class FieldSortIT extends ESIntegTestCase {
             }
             assertEquals(1712879236854775807L, hits.getAt(0).getSortValues()[0]);
             assertEquals(1712879237000000000L, hits.getAt(1).getSortValues()[0]);
+
+            response = client().prepareSearch()
+                .setMaxConcurrentShardRequests(1)
+                .setQuery(matchAllQuery())
+                .setSize(1)
+                .addSort(SortBuilders.fieldSort("field").setNumericType("date_nanos"))
+                .get();
+            hits = response.getHits();
+            assertEquals(1, hits.getHits().length);
+            assertThat(hits.getAt(0).getSortValues()[0].getClass(), equalTo(Long.class));
+            assertEquals(1712879236854775807L, hits.getAt(0).getSortValues()[0]);
+
+            response = client().prepareSearch()
+                .setMaxConcurrentShardRequests(1)
+                .setQuery(matchAllQuery())
+                .setSize(1)
+                .addSort(SortBuilders.fieldSort("field").order(SortOrder.DESC).setNumericType("date_nanos"))
+                .get();
+            hits = response.getHits();
+            assertEquals(1, hits.getHits().length);
+            assertThat(hits.getAt(0).getSortValues()[0].getClass(), equalTo(Long.class));
+            assertEquals(1712879237000000000L, hits.getAt(0).getSortValues()[0]);
         }
 
         {
@@ -1801,15 +1847,14 @@ public class FieldSortIT extends ESIntegTestCase {
             builders.add(client().prepareIndex("index_date", "_doc")
                 .setSource("field", "1905-04-11T23:47:17"));
             indexRandom(true, true, builders);
-            SearchPhaseExecutionException exc = expectThrows(SearchPhaseExecutionException.class,
-                () -> client().prepareSearch()
+            SearchResponse response = client().prepareSearch()
                         .setQuery(matchAllQuery())
-                        .setSize(builders.size())
-                        .setAllowPartialSearchResults(false)
+                        .setSize(1)
                         .addSort(SortBuilders.fieldSort("field").setNumericType("date_nanos"))
-                        .get()
-            );
-            assertThat(exc.toString(), containsString("are before the epoch in 1970"));
+                        .get();
+            assertNotNull(response.getShardFailures());
+            assertThat(response.getShardFailures().length, equalTo(1));
+            assertThat(response.getShardFailures()[0].toString(), containsString("are before the epoch in 1970"));
         }
 
         {
@@ -1817,15 +1862,14 @@ public class FieldSortIT extends ESIntegTestCase {
             builders.add(client().prepareIndex("index_date", "_doc")
                 .setSource("field", "2346-04-11T23:47:17"));
             indexRandom(true, true, builders);
-            SearchPhaseExecutionException exc = expectThrows(SearchPhaseExecutionException.class,
-                () -> client().prepareSearch()
+            SearchResponse response = client().prepareSearch()
                     .setQuery(QueryBuilders.rangeQuery("field").gt("1970-01-01"))
-                    .setSize(builders.size())
-                    .setAllowPartialSearchResults(false)
+                    .setSize(10)
                     .addSort(SortBuilders.fieldSort("field").setNumericType("date_nanos"))
-                    .get()
-            );
-            assertThat(exc.toString(), containsString("are after 2262"));
+                    .get();
+            assertNotNull(response.getShardFailures());
+            assertThat(response.getShardFailures().length, equalTo(1));
+            assertThat(response.getShardFailures()[0].toString(), containsString("are after 2262"));
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/sort/FieldSortBuilder.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/sort/FieldSortBuilder.java
index f0151084f5d..1151c4348a2 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/sort/FieldSortBuilder.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/sort/FieldSortBuilder.java
@@ -412,6 +412,7 @@ public class FieldSortBuilder extends SortBuilder<FieldSortBuilder> {
             IndexNumericFieldData numericFieldData = (IndexNumericFieldData) fieldData;
             NumericType resolvedType = resolveNumericType(numericType);
             field = numericFieldData.sortField(resolvedType, missing, localSortMode(), nested, reverse);
+            isNanosecond = resolvedType == NumericType.DATE_NANOSECONDS;
         } else {
             field = fieldData.sortField(missing, localSortMode(), nested, reverse);
             if (fieldData instanceof IndexNumericFieldData) {
@@ -452,11 +453,6 @@ public class FieldSortBuilder extends SortBuilder<FieldSortBuilder> {
         DocValueFormat docValueFormat = bottomSortValues.getSortValueFormats()[0];
         final DateMathParser dateMathParser;
         if (docValueFormat instanceof DocValueFormat.DateTime) {
-            if (fieldType instanceof DateFieldType && ((DateFieldType) fieldType).resolution() == NANOSECONDS) {
-                // we parse the formatted value with the resolution of the local field because
-                // the provided format can use a different one (date vs date_nanos).
-                docValueFormat = DocValueFormat.withNanosecondResolution(docValueFormat);
-            }
             dateMathParser = ((DocValueFormat.DateTime) docValueFormat).getDateMathParser();
         } else {
             dateMathParser = null;
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/search/sort/FieldSortBuilderTests.java b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/search/sort/FieldSortBuilderTests.java
index b1bcbcad629..4c46094be28 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/search/sort/FieldSortBuilderTests.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/search/sort/FieldSortBuilderTests.java
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ public class FieldSortBuilderTests extends AbstractSortTestCase<FieldSortBuilder
             }
         }
         if (randomBoolean()) {
-            builder.setNumericType(randomFrom(random(), "long", "double", "date", "date_nanos"));
+            builder.setNumericType(randomFrom(random(), "long", "double"));
         }
         return builder;
     }
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ public class FieldSortBuilderTests extends AbstractSortTestCase<FieldSortBuilder
             break;
         case 5:
             mutated.setNumericType(randomValueOtherThan(original.getNumericType(),
-                () -> randomFrom("long", "double", "date", "date_nanos")));
+                () -> randomFrom("long", "double")));
             break;
         default:
             throw new IllegalStateException("Unsupported mutation.");