New York Mets system Bittiger briefly played third base in the minor leagues before being converted into a full-time pitcher in . Thereafter, he helped lead the Tides to win the AAA World Series in 1983. He remained in the minor leagues until January 16, 1986, when the Mets traded him to the
Philadelphia Phillies.
Phillies Bittiger broke into
Major League Baseball as a starter for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1986. He hit a home run off
Bob Kipper of the
Pittsburgh Pirates on September 22, 1986, in his second at bat as a player for the Phillies, earning his first career win and getting credit for the
game-winning RBI. He started only three games for the Phillies, and had a 5.70
ERA in 14 IP. He played for the Phillies until December 8, 1986, when he was released. He was signed by the
Atlanta Braves just 12 days later on December 20, 1986, but was released by that organization April 4, 1987. On April 15, he signed with the Minnesota Twins.
Twins In 1987, Bittiger pitched infrequently for the
Minnesota Twins, first as a starter, then as a middle man. He pitched one inning in the Twins loss to the
Kansas City Royals, giving up two hits and one earned run. The Twins went on to beat the Royals and eventually win the World Series in October 1987. The Twins released him after the season on November 12, 1987, and on January 22, 1988, he was signed by the Chicago White Sox.
White Sox The next year, 1988, Bittiger played for the Chicago White Sox, pitching in a career high 25 games, starting seven of them. In his seven starts, Bittiger went 2–4, and had a no decision in the other game. His ERA for 1988 was 4.26 in 61 IP. The next year Bittiger pitched in only two major league games, starting one, which he lost. His ERA for the year was 6.85 in 9 IP. After the season, Bittiger was traded to the
Los Angeles Dodgers for
Tracy Woodson, but he never pitched in the majors again. He continued to pitch in the minor leagues until 2002. ==Death==