Bittiger 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."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)." 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.
