Great game last night, right? Sure, but there’s still something wrong about a 4-3 game lasting 3 hours, 47 minutes.

It isn’t just me complaining. Earlier this week, ESPN’s Jim Caple weighed in, obviously tired of watching endless games.

Caple wrote:

Almost four hours for a 1-0 game in which one team didn’t get a hit until the ninth inning? What, are they trying to keep pace with the Republicans and Democrats in Congress?

And no, the American League broadcast did not include more commercials, although you could probably air a couple of Geico ads during a typical Boston at-bat and not miss anything important.

It isn’t just the Red Sox.

Much of the blame for these lengthy games goes to the Red Sox, who grind out at-bats until the starter reaches his pitch limit or simply falls asleep on the mound. But it’s not just them. The Athletics and Tigers played a 1-0 game in their division series that lasted nearly three and a half hours. Sonny Gray’s mustache had almost filled out by the time that game ended.

Caple concludes:

Batters will contend that working the count wears down the pitcher, gets them better pitches to hit and makes them more successful. But mostly, it just means they strike out more often. Batting averages are lower than they’ve been since before the DH era began. Strikeouts are at an all-time high. Players are not hitting any better; they’re just taking longer to fail.

Look, if you aren’t going to hit the ball, don’t waste our time. Stay in the box. Don’t fiddle with your gloves. Just get it over with in three pitches and grab some bench.

We don’t want to finish the game with beards that would shame the Smith cough drop brothers.

Amen to that.