Jeff Bittiger

Bittiger briefly played third base in the minor leagues before being converted into a full-time pitcher in 1981. Thereafter, he languished in the minor leagues until January 16, 1986 when the Mets traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Bittiger broke into Major League Baseball as a starter for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1986. He notably hit a home run in his first at bat as a player for the Phillies. He started only three games for the Phillies, and had a 5.70 ERA in 14​²⁄₃ 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.

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.

The next year, 1988, Bittiger played for the Chicago White Sox, pitching in a career high 25 games, and starting seven of those. In his seven starts Bittiger went 2–4, and had no decision the other game. His ERA for 1988 was 4.26 in 61​²⁄₃ 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​²⁄₃ 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 1996.