Former Jays manager Gaston on impact Jackie Robinson has had on his life, career

Friday marks 75 years since Jackie Robinson broke the colour barrier in Major League Baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

He faced opposition, turmoil and hatred during his 10-year career, but persevered through it all, winning National League Rookie of the Year honours in his first season, NL MVP in 1949, a World Series in 1955 and induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

MLB celebrates Jackie Robinson Day every April 15 by having every player in the league wear his universally retired No. 42. For this year's special 75th anniversary, every 42 across the Majors will be colored Dodger Blue.

To commemorate this historic day, TSN’s Rod Smith spoke to former Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston about Jackie Robinson’s legacy and how it inspired his own career as a player and two-time World Series-winning manager.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Cito, the sports world is celebrating the legacy of Jackie Robinson today, on the 75th anniversary of his major league debut. What does Jackie Robinson Day mean to you?

It means everything to me, and it should mean everything to a lot of people because without Jackie, without Mr. Robinson, we certainly would not have the opportunity to play professional baseball. I wouldn’t have the chance to manage a baseball team, no less a big-league baseball team. We owe him a lot and I certainly think about him on more than this day, but any time something comes up that I think he might have went through to get us to this point, my heart goes out for him because I know he went through a lot to get us to this point. Sometimes in the minor leagues I went through a lot, but not quite as much as he has.

What do you think his lasting legacy is – and not just talking about