The Diamondback's first pitch took place at 8:22 pm on the evening of March 31, 1988. The game was scheduled to start at 7:05pm but opening festivities prolonged the start. In the progressed graphic declination chart the moon is the primary catalyst. When it contacts parallel points the symbolism of the combination often manifests. The first significant hit in the D'Back's chart was the progressed Moon parallel the progressed MC of midheaven. This contact was exact in the last few months of 1999 coinciding nicely with the winning of the National League West Championship in just the second year of existence, the fastest an expansion team has ever risen to this level. The contact of the progressed Moon with the MC stayed just north of the exact parallel in 2000 then intersected it again in the middle of 2001 which was the year the snakes beat the New York Yankees in one of the most exciting Series ever. Another progressed intersection is in the works. The Sun was 4N26 and Saturn 6N24 when the Diamondbacks were "born". Since the sun is moving northward at a rapid pace in early spring, the exact parallel with natal Saturn will occur about March 1, 2004. Evidence of this parallel probably began showing itself with major injuries late in the 2002 season with season-ending mishaps for Craig Counsell and Luis Gonzalez. Early in 2003 the disabled numbers soared with key injuries to Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, Mike Koplov, Junior Spivey and nagging injuries to Matt Mantei, Danny Bautista, Tony Womack all resulting in time on the DL. Saturn's influence is not always negative. As Saturn debilitated some, room was made for minor-leaguers from the AAA Tucson team to be brought up with unqualified successes by more than a half-dozen rookies who became know as the "Baby Backs". Saturn will continue its effects but there an essence that will remain that will likely be a positive quality in the years to come. Saturn is an austere influence and the front office will look long and hard at players with hefty multi-year contracts and then they'll look at a talented bunch of rookies who are probably making baseball's minimum wage(we should all be making a minimum wage six figures several times over!). It will be very difficult for the D'Backs to make the playoffs in 2003 as the Saturn influence is showing itself by decreased run production. There are times when the team can score but the consistency is not there. The team did set a record for itself in June when they won 12 consecutive games and also set a team record for most wins in a month. That coincided with transiting Jupiter being within a degree of the exact parallel with the natal moon declination of 16N20. There will be a shorter parallel duration with natal Mercury at 11N02 in September that could lead to a small winning surge but with at least seven other teams in the hunt for the NL wildcard spot a hot team in September could make it. The only way the snakes can do it is if the pitching continues to be "lights out" and the hitting can overcome the Saturn tendency of "putting a lid on it". The future has an interesting progressed lunar contact with the north node of the moon's declination point in 2005. In research I have done thus far, I have noticed that many times when a team wins it all or an individual has a career year, the moon and the north node are getting together at the declination cafe. 2005 could be a special year for DiamondBacks and Arizona.

Declination chart from the birth of the D'backs until 2020.