 Brouthers made his Major League debut on June 23 , 1879 , for the Troy Trojans , and contributed a single in a come @-@ from @-@ behind victory against the Syracuse Stars . Although he was a first baseman , he was called upon to pitch that season with the Trojans in three games , one of which was on August 21 against Tommy Bond and the Boston Red Caps . Brouthers lost 16 – 0 , and within two weeks he was released from the club . He hit .274 that first season , with four home runs , and had 17 RBIs in 39 games played . 
