BRONX HIRO AGAIN!

Tanaka strikes out career-high 14 vs. Rays; Yanks back in 1st:

The Yankees are back on top of the AL East — and with the Red Sox in disarray, it’s time for them to take advantage and capture their first division title since 2012. The surging Bombers moved into sole possession of first place for the first time since June 21 on Friday night by virtue of their 6-1 victory over the Rays, coupled with Boston’s 4-2 loss to the Royals.

“There’s a lot of work that goes into this, to get to this point, and hey, it’s right in front of us,” Joe Girardi, who has been confident in his club all season long, said before the game. “We have a ton of games left in our division, so it’s there for us to get. We have to play well, that’s the bottom line.”

Earlier Friday, Boston placed $217 million lefty David Price — known more for his media controversies than his pitching lately — on the 10-day disabled list with left elbow inflammation. However, GM Dave Dombrowski told local reporters that the Red Sox won’t be in the market for a top starter.

The Yankees are still in need of rotation help themselves, and have their eyes on Sonny Gray as Monday’s non-waiver trade deadline nears. But if the prospect cost for Gray is too high — i.e. having to part with any of Clint Frazier, Gleyber Torres, Justus Sheffield or Chance Adams — they can also turn their attention to the likes of Lance Lynn or Jaime Garcia.

Of course, just as encouraging was Masahiro Tanaka’s outing on Friday night, in which the maddeningly inconsistent $155 million righty flirted with perfection, ultimately striking out a career-high 14 over eight innings.

“Hopefully I was able to entertain the fans,” said Tanaka, who entered with a 7-9 record and a 5.37 ERA.

Tanaka retired the first 17 Rays he faced before surrendering a single to Adeiny Hechavarria with two outs in the sixth.

“Incredible,” Aaron Judge said. “He was attacking the zone. Every one of his pitches was working well, and that’s what you expect out of your ace.”

Whether Tanaka can keep it up based on his past performances is anyone’s guess.

Exactly two weeks ago, Aroldis Chapman suffered a blown save and the 45-42 Bombers suffered a walk-off loss to the 51-39 Bosox at Fenway Park, dropping them 4.5 games back in the division. But since then, the Yankees have gone 10-4 while the Red Sox have gone 5-9, enabling New York to move ahead of their rivals.

The Bombers somehow managed to survive a 10-22 stretch following a 38-23 start, and have recently been galvanized by Brian Cashman’s trade with the White Sox that brought David Robertson, Tommy Kahnle and Todd Frazier to the Bronx. In their last 17 games, Yankees relievers have combined for a 1.66 ERA.

“It just goes to show that this team got a little deeper, and we’re not messing around right now,” Clint Frazier said.

Clint Frazier, the 22-year-old call-up, has had a 2016 Gary Sanchez-like impact at the top of the order, with 16 RBI and 12 extra-base hits in his first 20 games. On Friday night, he hit a pivotal 455-foot, three-run homer in the fifth.

“I almost overran first because I was watching it a little too long,” Frazier said.

“We’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg with him,” said Judge, who added his MLB-leading 33rd homer.

At this rate, it seems like Garrett Cooper is going to be the odd man out when Aaron Hicks returns from his oblique injury — especially given that Chase Headley has stabilized first base with both his bat and his glove.

Didi Gregorius (10-game hitting streak) has also been extremely impactful on both sides of the diamond, enabling the Yankees to overcome the post-All-Star break struggles of Judge, Gary Sanchez and Matt Holliday.

Meanwhile, youngsters Luis Severino and Jordan Montgomery have stepped up in a big way, while CC Sabathia, 37, has put together a renaissance year on the mound.

The Yankees may have been in retooling mode, and they may be flawed, but the Red Sox have been extremely underwhelming, opening the door for New York.

Chris Sale has been absolutely dominant in his first year with the Red Sox, but they miss David Ortiz. Boston just acquired Eduardo Nunez and called up top prospect Rafael Devers. And given that their GM is Dombrowski, you have to figure more moves will be in store.

Bust the Sox simply haven’t been the “Warriors of Baseball” — as Cashman slyly suggested. And that’s why it makes sense for the Yankees to get one more starter — and maybe an upgrade at first — and go for the division title.

With the Red Sox in disarray, it’s certainly there for the taking.