MILWAUKEE -- Ryan Braun came off the Brewers' bench Thursday in grand fashion.
No, Braun didn't hit a grand slam. But with a pinch-hit three-run homer in the Brewers' game-breaking seven-run sixth inning in a 12-3 win over the Marlins at Miller Park, Braun reached 1,000 career RBIs.

"I think you're able to enjoy it a little bit more than a broken bat groundout or something like that," Braun said. "It was definitely a cool way to accomplish a pretty special number."
He's the ninth active player and the 284th in Major League history to get to that plateau, matching Darryl Strawberry's career mark. Braun was already second in Brewers history to Robin Yount's 1,406 career RBIs.
Braun was limited to bench duty for a second straight game on Thursday because of a sore right calf, and he's also missed time recently with back stiffness. But he remains a threat, with four of his first 12 hits this season clearing the fence, including a pair of go-ahead home runs in the ninth inning.
He said he expects to be back in the Brewers' lineup when the series continues Friday.
"I've said many times that the biggest challenge in this game is longevity and consistency," Braun said. "You can't get to a number like that unless you've played for a while and had consistent success.

"It also speaks to being fortunate to be on a lot of really good offensive teams. It's a result of having really good teammates and getting a ton of opportunities. For five or six years, I had Prince Fielder hitting behind me, so people never wanted to walk me to get to him. You're just getting a lot of opportunity."
Thursday's clout was Braun's second career pinch-hit home run, and both have come against the Marlins. The other was a game-winning two-run shot in the ninth in Miami on June 3, 2011.
"It's 300 homers, 1000 RBIs now. Big, round numbers," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "You're starting to get into what I think of as the longevity numbers. You have to be around and productive for quite a long time to start reaching these milestones."

"For one, you have to play a long time to reach that goal," Brewers center fielder Lorenzo Cain said. "He's been a consistent, great hitter his entire career. I'm happy for him. We definitely need him to get to where we want to be. This is going to be a fun ride."