 He got his first chance to be an everyday player in 1881 , when he was signed by the Bisons , the team that he did well against the previous year . That season he batted .319 , and played with them until the team folded after the 1885 season . In his first season with the Bisons , he led the National League ( NL ) in home runs and slugging percentage . Brouthers , along with teammates Jack Rowe , Hardy Richardson and Deacon White , became known as the " Big Four " . In 1882 and 1883 he won his first two batting titles , posting .368 and .374 averages , respectively . Along with his two batting titles , during his time in Buffalo he also led the NL in slugging five times , hits and total bases twice each , and triples and RBIs once each , with his 1883 total of 97 RBIs setting a new Major League record ; Cap Anson had set the previous mark of 83 the year before , and retook the record the following year with a total of 102 . On July 19 , 1883 , Brouthers went 6 @-@ for @-@ 6 with two doubles in a 25 – 5 defeat of the Philadelphia Quakers . 
