Friday marks 75 years since Jackie Robinson made history as the first Black man to take the field in Major League Baseball.

In honor of No. 42's legacy, every player and coach will wear Robinson's number and the biggest names in baseball will be around New York City to commemorate his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Former Yankees manager and Hall of Famer Joe Torre, who now serves as a special assistant to the commissioner of baseball, will be at several events throughout the day.

Before then, though, he appeared on "Mornings On 1" to discuss Robinson's lasting impact on the sport.

"Jackie Robinson changed baseball, I guess, in the way Babe Ruth did way back in the day," Torre said.

"He made an impact. I have to give Branch Rickey a lot of credit, because you had to pick a very special individual to be able to put up with what Jackie put up with and yet, [he] never took a back seat to anybody. I mean, he played that game fiercely."

Torre called Robinson a "versatile" athlete who commanded the field no matter what position he was in and was always communicative with other players.

"He would do anything to help his team win. And he certainly made the impact when he got to the big leagues 75 years ago," he said. "But what followed - and it took a little time for teams to follow - I guess, it was the early 50s when other teams started falling in line and realizing that we need to bring color into the game, because obviously it's been a better game ever since."

Torre said meeting Robinson shortly before his death in October 1972 was a "very memorable" moment.

"He had a presence about him even toward the end when he was ill," Torre said. "He stood for a lot of great things. And he was a great player. He was a great player for more than the fact that he broke the color barrier - he was a great teammate."