Jeffrey Scott Bittiger (born April 13, 1962) is a former relief pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, Minnesota Twins, and Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball. He pitched four seasons in the major leagues, from 1986 until 1989. He was the player-personnel consultant for the independent league Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, as of 2016. He also was listed as a professional scout for the Oakland Athletics, based in Pennsylvania.[1]
| Jeff Bittiger | |
|---|---|
| Relief pitcher | |
| Born: April 13, 1962 Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 2, 1986, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 30, 1989, for the Chicago White Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 4–6 |
| Earned run average | 4.77 |
| Strikeouts | 53 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Amateur career
editRaised in Secaucus, New Jersey, Bittiger played prep baseball at Secaucus High School.[2]
Bittiger attended college at Jersey City State University and Seton Hall University in the off seasons, and was drafted by the New York Mets out of high school in the 7th round of the 1980 draft on June 3.
Professional career
editNew York Mets system
editBittiger 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.
Phillies
editBittiger broke into Major League Baseball as a starter for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1986. He hit a home run off of 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.[3] He started only three games for the Phillies, and had a 5.70 ERA in 142⁄3 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.
Twins
editIn 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
editThe 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 612⁄3 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 92⁄3 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.
References
edit- ^ Norris, Josh, ed. (2016). Baseball America 2016 Directory. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN 978-1-932391-62-6.
- ^ Tuite, James. "Players; Jersey Pitcher A Gem For Mets", The New York Times, September 28, 1982. Accessed March 12, 2022. "Players from the Sun Belt, like Strawberry, have a distinct advantage, said the 20-year-old Bittiger, who is from Secaucus, N.J.... Bittiger said that while he was attending Secaucus High he was not especially attracted to either the Mets or the Yankees."
- ^ "Bittiger has reason to be excited about future", Pottsville Republican, September 23, 1986. Accessed March 12, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Bittiger, 24, lived a rookie's dream at the expense of the Pirates. He homered, earned his first victory and was credited with the game- winning run batted in.... Bittiger, who struck out in his only previous at-bat, hit a 3-1 pitch over the left field wall against Bob Kipper (5-8)."
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Jeff Bittiger at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
- Jeff Bittiger at Baseball Almanac
- Jeff Bittiger at Baseballbiography.com