NEW YORK -- The Chicago White Sox made quick work of Orlando Hernandez and again showed why they have the best record in baseball.

Jose Valentin's grand slam highlighted a nine-run first inning as the White Sox extended their season-high winning streak to seven games with a 17-4 rout of the New York Yankees on Sunday.

It also finished a difficult road trip in which Chicago went 7-0 against Cleveland and New York.

"In my time here, I haven't witnessed anything quite like what we did on this trip, especially against the teams we did it against," White Sox manager Jerry Manuel said.

Jim Parque (7-2) allowed four runs, nine hits, struck out four and walked three in six innings for the White Sox, who improved to 44-24. They became the first visitors to score at least 17 runs at Yankee Stadium since Cleveland on Aug. 4, 1990.

"Let everyone think that we're not that good," Parque said. "They might be thinking that in October. I don't think this team cares, and I don't think we've really reached our potential as a team."

The first-inning outburst came against Hernandez (6-6), who allowed all nine runs in his worst outing of the season. He lasted just two-thirds of an inning, threw 49 pitches, gave up six hits and walked three.

	Jose Valentin's grand slam ignited the White Sox's nine-run first against Orlando Hernandez.

X-rays and an MRI test revealed that the 34-year-old right-hander has an elbow sprain.

The team said the injury will be treated with rest and that Hernandez will be evaluated on a daily basis prior to the scheduling of his next start.

It was the most Chicago scored in an opening inning since a nine-run first in a 10-3 victory at Minnesota on April 19, 1962.

"We just came out swinging the bats well," Chicago's Chris Singleton said. "It looked like El Duque was hurting. It looked like he wasn't right out there."

The nine runs allowed were the most given up in one inning by Yankees pitchers since the Phillies scored that nine in the seventh inning of an 11-5 victory at Philadelphia on June 8, 1999.

The loss further crowded the top of the AL East. Boston, which lost to Toronto 5-1 Sunday, is a half-game ahead of the Yankees and one game ahead of the Blue Jays.

"We're not feeling too good about ourselves, but we keep checking the standings and we're only half a game behind," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "It's amazing to be in this position with what happened to us this weekend."

After getting Ray Durham to ground out, Hernandez walked Valentin. Valentin, 2-for-5, stole second before Frank Thomas drove him in with an RBI double to start the scoring spree.

Paul Konerko hit an RBI single, Singleton a two-run double, and Lee an RBI single before Mark Johnson singled and Durham walked to set up Valentin's fifth career grand slam.

"We were aggressive," Valentin said. "It was the same thing we did against every other pitcher on this road trip. We feel proud as a team, and we just have to keep playing this way."

It looked like the game was headed for a slugfest when the Yankees loaded the bases in the bottom of the first. With one out, Derek Jeter singled, and Paul O'Neill and Bernie Williams walked. But Parque got Martinez to pop out to short and Jorge Posada to ground out to end the threat.

The White Sox scored three more in the second, four more in the fifth and one in the seventh.

"We got killed. That's the bottom line," Jeter said. "We just ran into a hot team. We didn't give them anything, they just beat us."

Parque lost the shutout in the sixth when the Yankees scored four times. Chris Turner led off with a single, Posada drove him in with an RBI double, and Scott Brosius followed with a three-run homer.

"To sweep a four-game series against the world champions speaks volumes about our club," Manuel said. "But we'll be back at it again tomorrow."

Game notes
Valentin's 12 homers are the most by a White Sox shortstop since Chico Carrasquel hit 12 in 1954. ... The nine runs allowed by Hernandez were the most against him since the Angels scored 10 on 13 hits in 3 1/3 innings at Anaheim on July 29, 1998. ... Hernandez's shortest career outing was one-third of an inning in an 11-8 Yankees victory over Seattle on Aug. 6, 1999. He allowed three runs, three hits and walked three in that game. ... Chicago's first-inning scoring spurt was the first time the Yankees allowed nine runs in the first since a 15-1 loss at Seattle on July 11, 1979. ... The woman hit by Chuck Knoblauch's errant throw into the stands Saturday was the mother of FoxSports anchor Keith Olbermann. Marie Olbermann received medical attention, but returned to the stands after 20 minutes.