Salvador Perez can't help but give props to Tarik Skubal after strikeout

The Kansas City Royals beat the Detroit Tigers 9-2 on Friday, a game that wasn't very close by the end of the seventh inning. Before the fireworks began, however, fans witnessed a classic duel at the plate.

The Tigers' top arm, Tarik Skubal, against the Royals' wily veteran Salvardor Perez, he of 20 home runs and 75 RBIs this season.

In the top of the sixth, nobody on, nobody out, Skubal sat Perez down on a nasty 1-2 breaking ball.

Thankfully, Perez was mic'd up, which left us with this absolute gem of an interaction.

There are few MLB players easier to root for than the 34-year-old catcher, who continues to thump every manner of pitcher. Except Skubal.

"Good pitch. Good pitch. You strike me out a lot."

Rather than a pout or an explosion of anger, Perez takes the K in stride and gives props to the AL's leading Cy Young candidate. It's a nice gesture from an established vet to one of the MLB's brightest up-and-coming stars. It's also a sign of how nasty Skubal's stuff is. Sometimes all you can do as a hitter is tip your cap and laugh. Literally.

Salvador Perez credits Tarik Skubal for nasty strikeout pitch in Royals-Tigers

Skubal's night ended on a slightly dour note, as Detroit imploded in the seventh inning. Skubal gave up two earned runs (out of five total) in the seventh before being yanked with one out on the scoreboard. Kansas City reeled off an impressive six-run inning, transforming it from a tight game to a blowout.

This was the rare dud from Skubal, who has been more or less bulletproof all season. He's 12-4 through 22 starts and 136.1 innings, with a 2.57 ERA and 0.95 WHIP that ought to land him at the top of many — maybe even all — award ballots when the time comes.

There's still plenty of baseball left to be played this season, and Skubal doesn't have the benefit of a competitive team around him. Seven games below .500 after Friday's meltdown, the Tigers' postseason chances are once again cooked. Still, in terms of individual dominance, Skubal has been unmatched around the league. There's a reason Detroit, even with so much uncertainty about the future, never seriously entertained trade offers. An ace of Skubal's caliber only comes around once in a blue moon.

As for Perez, well, he continues another dominant offensive campaign for an upstart Royals squad that has been nothing short of impressive. Kansas City is 62-49 and well on its way to Wild Card contention in the American League.

Bobby Witt Jr. gets all the headlines, and deservedly so, but Perez has been an essential leader in the clubhouse and a steadfast force on the field. Not only does Perez work miracles behind home plate, but he's one of the best offensive catchers in the sport. Batting .282 on the season with a .815 OPS, there aren't too many pitchers who can get Perez to chase quite like Skubal (Perez does, however, have a chase rate in the MLB's second percentile).

Hopefully we get more mic'd up moments from Perez before the season. And, hopefully, we get plenty for Skubal punch-outs. What better way to spend an evening?