KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Jose Valentin hit three home runs in the first five innings, and there were plenty of other White Sox players doing serious damage, too.
Paul Konerko hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high six as Chicago routed the Royals 15-4 Wednesday night.
Chicago set season highs for runs, hits (19) and home runs (six).
"It was one of those days where you see pitches to hit and you don't miss them," said Valentin, older brother of Devil Rays catcher Javier Valentin. "I didn't try to hit three out, but it happened. It was a great game for me."
The White Sox won their third in a row and improved to a league-best 11-2 since the All-Star break. They pulled within two of Central-leading Kansas City, the closest they've been to first place since April 8.
"You add (Roberto) Alomar and (Carl) Everett to a team that's swinging the way we're swinging the bat and it makes for a tough lineup to go through," White Sox manager Jerry Manuel said. "You have Magglio Ordonez as hot as he is and Paul Konerko heating up. Jose Valentin can be damaging as well."
Valentin homered in the second and hit a three-run home run in the third, both swinging left-handed off starter Runelvys Hernandez.
The switch-hitting Valentin homered right-handed to lead off the fifth against reliever Jeremy Affeldt. It was his second home run of the season batting right-handed.
"The one right-handed was the one I enjoyed the most," Valentin said. "You won't see me too often hit home runs right-handed. The second home run was the big one because it put us ahead in the game."
Valentin had his second career three-homer game, the first coming April 3, 1998, with Milwaukee at Florida. He homered from both sides of the plate in a game for the third time.
Valentin became the first White Sox player to hit three home runs in a game since Frank Thomas on Sept. 15, 1996, at Boston.
YANKEES 8, ANGELS 0: Roger Clemens pitched his first complete game in more than three years, shutting out host Anaheim on five hits.
Clemens ended a string 104 regular-season starts without a complete game, the longest such drought in Yankees history.
Clemens pitched his 46th shutout and his first since June 29, 1999, against Detroit. His previous complete game came May 28, 2000, when he lost to Pedro Martinez and the Red Sox.
Still throwing 92 mph fastballs, Clemens earned his 303rd career victory. He struck out five, increasing his lifetime total to 4,053, and walked one. The victory came in his final start as a 40-year-old; he turns 41 Monday.
RANGERS 9, RED SOX 2: Laynce Nix, Mark Teixeira and Hank Blalock homered to lead host Texas.
Nix drove in four, including a two-run shot in the second off Ramiro Mendoza that put the Rangers ahead to stay. He drew a bases-loaded walk and hit a run-scoring double.
Teixeira, who was 3-for-4 with three runs, put the Rangers up 5-0 with his three-run homer in the third. It was his 15th homer, matching Detroit's Eric Munson for most among major-league rookies.
MARINERS 13, TIGERS 3: Randy Winn had his first two-homer game, including a grand slam, and drove in a career-high six to lead host Seattle. Winn, the former Rays All-Star, hit his slam and John Olerud had a three-run homer in a nine-run first, the Mariners' biggest inning since they scored 10 at Chicago on May 2, 2002.
INDIANS 4, A'S 2: C.C. Sabathia pitched seven innings for his first victory in nearly four weeks, and Angel Santos hit his first major-league homer for Cleveland. Sabathia, a native of nearby Vallejo, allowed nine hits as the Indians snapped a five-game losing streak in Oakland.
TWINS 5, ORIOLES 1: Former Jesuit standout Brad Radke won for the second time in 13 starts and Jacque Jones drove in three as host Minnesota stopped a three-game losing streak.
