Thomas Virgil Sturdivant, nicknamed "Snake", was an American pitcher who played for the New York Yankees, Kansas City Athletics, Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators, Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Tigers, and New York Mets of Major League Baseball. He threw a curveball and a knuckleball, among other pitches. He batted left-handed but threw right-handed.

The 1956 World Series of Major League Baseball was played between the New York Yankees of the American League and the defending champion Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League in October 1956. The series was a rematch of the 1955 World Series. It was the final Subway Series in the Fall Classic until 44 years later in 2000, as the Dodgers and the New York Giants moved to California following the 1957 season. Additionally, it was the last time a New York City team represented the National League in a World Series until 1969, when the New York Mets defeated the Baltimore Orioles in five games.