\u2022 Meanwhile, the rate of triples per game (0.13) plunged to a level that tied the lowest in history.<\/p>\n
\u2022 So what does that mean? It means we\u2019ve made nearly 1,500 doubles disappear since 2007. And we\u2019ve made over 300 triples disappear since 2015.<\/p>\n
DOUBLES<\/p>\n
2007 \u2014 9,197<\/p>\n
2025 \u2014 7,745<\/p>\n
TRIPLES<\/p>\n
2015 \u2014 939<\/p>\n
2025 \u2014 628<\/p>\n
If we go back to this century\u2019s offensive heyday, which was roughly from 2006 to 2008, we\u2019re talking about almost 2,000 doubles\/triples a year that have vanished \u2014 mostly into outfielders\u2019 gloves. It\u2019s such a dramatic drop-off that we\u2019ve reached a point where there were fewer doubles plus triples hit this season than the total of doubles alone as recently as 2019.<\/p>\n
2019 \u2014 8,531 doubles<\/p>\n
2025 \u2014 8,373 doubles + triples<\/p>\n
Have you noticed? If you haven\u2019t, you\u2019re not alone. But if you have, we have the perfect description of what kind of shrewd baseball observer you very well might be:<\/p>\n
A hitter!<\/p>\n
Oh, those hitters have noticed, all right. I\u2019ve been asking them about this for months. And boy, were they glad to learn somebody cared about this besides themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, it\u2019s like no doubles (defense) out there every night,\u201d said Alex Bregman. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to hit it off the wall. It\u2019s crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re basically saying, \u2018Here\u2019s your single. Take it,\u2019\u201d said the Royals\u2019 Vinnie Pasquantino. \u201cThey\u2019re like, \u2018If you want to bloop one in, we\u2019ll give it to you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
THE ATHLETIC TO FREDDIE FREEMAN: \u201cHas it ever been harder to hit a double?\u201d<\/p>\n
FREEMAN: \u201cIt\u2019s hard. It\u2019s hard just to get a hit.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Dodgers\u2019 Cooperstown-bound first baseman knows he could be the poster boy for this entire conversation. After all, he\u2019s led his league in doubles four times. In 2022-23, he averaged 53 doubles a year. Over the past two seasons, that fell to 37 a year.<\/p>\n
He understands why that is, too. It has everything to do with how deep outfielders play now and how much information they have on where he\u2019s likely to hit those balls that used to fill up his doubles column. As we\u2019ll demonstrate, he was hitting under dramatically different conditions when he first reached the big leagues a decade and a half ago. Here are two examples:<\/p>\n
First, here\u2019s a laser Freeman smoked to the center-field warning track, at 103.2 mph off the bat, in 2016. It was (what else?) a double.<\/p>\n
Now here\u2019s a very similar rocket to the center-field warning track he hit this past season, at 103.1 mph. This one turned into (what else?) an out.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s your official takeaway from what you just watched: The positioning, and athleticism, of the center fielder, Angel Mart\u00ednez, in the second video was not an accident.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s definitely different (than when he first came up), with all the data,\u201d Freeman said. \u201cEvery day, right before I go out there, I get a card with where I need to play on each and every hitter. And it\u2019s the same with the outfielders.\u201d<\/p>\n
He began to describe some of the aspiring doubles he has seen caught, all because of those cards, that data and those world-class athletes wearing the gloves. Every hitter has one (or 10) of those stories now. And why is that an issue? Ho-ho. We can\u2019t wait to tell you exactly why.<\/p>\n
The deep state![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2234084276-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n The Diamondbacks\u2019 Blaze Alexander catches a deep fly ball hit by Alex Bregman. Outfielders are more athletic than ever, and positioned better thanks to analytics. (Christian Petersen \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
How\u2019s your depth perception? We ask because, thanks to the miracle of Statcast, we can now measure the depth of where every outfielder stands before a ball is hit. And that\u2019s where this conversation has to begin:<\/p>\n
The average outfielder now plays deeper than at any time since Statcast has been keeping track (2015-present) \u2014 and, most likely, any time in history.<\/p>\n
Average outfield depth by position <\/p>\n
YEARCFLF RF<\/p>\n
2025<\/p>\n
323 feet <\/p>\n
298 feet <\/p>\n
295 feet <\/p>\n
2015<\/p>\n
312 feet <\/p>\n
292 feet<\/p>\n
292 feet<\/p>\n
(Source: Baseball Savant \/ Statcast; MLB calculates the starting distance based on how far from the plate the outfielders are when the pitch is released. This is measured before every pitch using Hawk-Eye technology.)<\/p>\n
So why is that happening? Because it works! As far back as April 2022, former Cubs\/Red Sox mastermind Theo Epstein explained it all perfectly in an appearance on the Starkville edition<\/a> of The Athletic\u2019s \u201cWindup\u201d podcast, with me and my co-host, Doug Glanville.<\/p>\n \u201cThe problem we\u2019re trying to potentially solve here is that analytics have shown clubs that positioning outfielders deeper is a very effective way to prevent runs,\u201d said Epstein, who was then working as a \u201clet\u2019s-fix-the-game\u201d consultant for MLB. \u201cAnalytics can really demonstrate that when you move outfielders back, you take away doubles. Sure, you give up a few more singles. But you take away doubles and triples. You turn those extra-base hits into outs. And on average, you\u2019re going to prevent a lot more runs doing it that way.\u201d<\/p>\n There was a time when teams thought the opposite. As recently as the turn of this century, many of them played their athletic center fielders shallow, trying to turn singles into outs.<\/p>\n We\u2019re sure that made sense to somebody back then. But as baseball became more scientific, the data flipped that trend upside-down.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s smart,\u201d Pasquantino said. \u201cIt\u2019s like, I\u2019ve seen some theories on the 3-point shot in the NBA, where teams are so smart now. It\u2019s not ruining the NBA by any means. It\u2019s just a math equation. It\u2019s like, why shoot a 17-foot shot when you can shoot a 22-foot shot? It\u2019s not that much different, and it\u2019s worth one more point. So we\u2019ll take the chance that you\u2019ll make maybe a little less of those shots.<\/p>\n \u201cIn our sport, they\u2019re saying: \u2018Hit your singles,\u2019 (because) how many times do I score when I get to first base, as opposed to when I get to second or third \u2014 or just hit a homer? Not often, in comparison. That\u2019s just math.\u201d<\/p>\n Oh, it\u2019s excellent math, all right \u2014 but not only for your cousin Vinnie. For everybody.<\/p>\n According to FanGraphs\u2019 Run Expectancy Matrix<\/a>, when a team puts a runner on second with nobody out, its run expectancy for that inning is 29 percent higher than when that runner is on first with no outs. And with two outs, run expectancy is 48 percent higher.<\/p>\n So it\u2019s not just math. It\u2019s monster math. And all 30 teams are now crushing it. But at this point, it isn\u2019t even new math anymore. So the best and smartest teams are now layering even more levels on top of those deep thoughts. Which is one more powerful example of how \u2026<\/p>\n The defense never rests \n \u201cDefensive positioning,\u201d Vinnie Pasquantino said, \u201cis all about: \u2018We\u2019re going to take away what you do well.\u2019\u201d (Ed Zurga \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n As several people I talked to for this story mentioned, those outfielders didn\u2019t just start playing deeper this year. In fact, they\u2019ve been playing at pretty much the current depths since 2019.<\/p>\n So depth is still a thing, but it\u2019s not the only thing. There is now a precision to defensive positioning that would boggle the mind of the average fan.<\/p>\n Why do outfielders consult the index card inside their cap before every hitter? Not because they have lousy memories. It\u2019s because there are now so many variables, who could possibly keep track of them all?<\/p>\n Here is just a sampling, courtesy of some of the players, coaches and front-office minds I spoke with:<\/p>\n \u2022 It\u2019s no longer simply about where each hitter tends to hit the ball. It\u2019s where he tends to hit the ball hardest. Turning those 100 mph laser beams into outs is every team\u2019s top defensive priority these days.<\/p>\n \u201cDefensive positioning,\u201d Pasquantino said, \u201cis all about: \u2018We\u2019re going to take away what you do well.\u2019 Where you hit the ball hard, we\u2019re going to play you there. So it\u2019s no secret, when you line out hard somewhere, why you find yourself consistently doing it. It\u2019s because they\u2019re playing you there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022 But even the same hitter might face different positioning \u2014 possibly every at-bat, sometimes even every pitch. Is the next pitch going to be inside or outside, high or low, hard or soft? Is it a pitch you tend to make hard or soft contact on? Is it a pitch you\u2019re likely to try to take the other way? It all matters.<\/p>\n \u2022 Then there\u2019s this: Who\u2019s pitching? Is he left-handed or right-handed? But that\u2019s only the first question. Let\u2019s take the Dodgers. Blake Snell, Clayton Kershaw and Alex Vesia all throw left-handed. Is there anything else about them that\u2019s similar? So no outfielder is just playing in the same spot every inning because \u201ca left-hander\u201d is on the mound. It\u2019s about what kind of left-hander is delivering each pitch.<\/p>\n \u2022 Then again, not all outfielders are created equal, either. So there\u2019s a huge difference in positioning \u2014 on the same hitter \u2014 if Nick Castellanos is playing right field, as opposed to, say, a Gold Glover like Fernando Tatis Jr. The data on each outfielder\u2019s range and skills now plays a pivotal role in where he\u2019s standing, for every pitch of every game. And the spacing between outfielders is also part of that sports science.<\/p>\n \u201cTeams are so much more familiar with the skills of their outfielders,\u201d said one coach who has input on his team\u2019s defensive alignments. \u201cSo they\u2019re positioning more thoughtfully, relative to the directions the outfielders can go.<\/p>\n \u201cAn average outfielder, his catch radius is not a perfect circle, right? And then two outfielders, their average radius is different from each other. So when you have both of those things in mind \u2026 you can more thoughtfully place them in space, without the assumption that they\u2019re going to cover the same amount of ground as your average person. Outfielders are more athletic than their predecessors, but we\u2019re also more aware of where their deficiencies live.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022 Not to mention there\u2019s a reason those outfielders seem to be so much more athletic nowadays: Because, now that teams can measure the impact of that athleticism, many of them value outfield defense in ways they\u2019d never valued it before.<\/p>\n The result: The average outfielder in 2025 was significantly faster (27.3 feet per second) than when Statcast began computing that in 2015 (26.9). And while 18 qualified outfielders were 2 feet worse than average, by Statcast\u2019s Outfield Jump metric, in 2016, just seven outfielders were that bad in 2025, as this graphic, from The Athletic\u2019s Eno Sarris, depicts.<\/p>\n (This graphic shows Statcast’s Outfield Jump metric, which combines an outfielder’s reaction, burst and route in the correct direction of a fly ball and compares it to the average. In the top left corner are the outfielders who are below average in both route and reaction, and in 2016 [blue points], you’ll notice there were more bad outfielders.)<\/p>\n \u2022 Finally, there\u2019s more nuance to the data on hitters than ever before. So teams are no longer just looking at where, say, Bo Bichette has tended to hit a high fastball in his career, or even this season. That info is now broken down to: What are his tendencies over the last two months \u2026 or two weeks \u2026 or two series?<\/p>\n OK, so now that we\u2019ve probably overwhelmed you with all that context, you\u2019re no doubt wondering:<\/p>\n What does all that have to do with the secret plot to kill the gapper?<\/p>\n \u201cWhat outfield positioning has changed,\u201d said the coach quoted earlier, \u201cis … people’s proximity to where the ball lands \u2014 not only on balls that are caught, but on balls that aren’t caught. You’re not as far from them as you once were.<\/p>\n \u201cSo when you catch them, that prospective double or triple becomes an out. And when you don’t catch them, a prospective triple stays a double, and a potential double becomes a single.\u201d<\/p>\n Got it? Excellent. So …<\/p>\n Why should anybody even care? \n “Is there a way to create an outfield-positioning rule that could help nudge the doubles and triples rate, the extra-base hit rate, back to, say, levels where they were 15 years ago or so?\u201d Theo Epstein asked. (Michael M. Santiago \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n Nobody wants to root against progress. It\u2019s never a good look. But is it sometimes a necessary look? It is in this sport.<\/p>\n That\u2019s because the people who run baseball teams in 2025 are way too smart. They know exactly how to apply their favorite algorithm to alter that game you just plunked down 78 bucks to watch. And good for them.<\/p>\n But sometimes, the people who run a sport have to ask: What\u2019s more important \u2014 brilliant algorithm application or giving ticket buyers something that might be way more entertaining to watch?<\/p>\n Hmmm. What do you think?<\/p>\n While you ponder that, why don\u2019t we revisit how Epstein described this thorny dilemma in his Starkville appearance in 2022. The question on the table was: Why should the league care where teams tell outfielders to stand? This sums it up!<\/p>\n \u201cThe reason why that’s a problem in the big picture,\u201d Epstein said, \u201cis that fans tell us they love doubles, they love triples and the action that those plays create. And they love great defensive plays.<\/p>\n \u201cSo one thing fans love is when there’s a deep fly ball hit into the gap. The center fielder is at a full sprint going for it. Does he leave his feet and dive? Does he make that play? Or is it going to be a double or triple, base runners in motion, defenses making the relay, bang-bang play at the bag. It\u2019s just a great baseball play.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I think what it tells us is that, when the ball is put in play, when the ball\u2019s in the air, I think fans like some element of some suspense, some uncertainty, some action when the ball is hit. And with outfielders playing so deep, when a ball goes up in the air now, it’s oftentimes either a home run or it’s an out.<\/p>\n \u201cSo what we’re trying to solve for is, is there a way to create an outfield-positioning rule that could help nudge the doubles and triples rate, the extra-base hit rate, back to, say, levels where they were 15 years ago or so?\u201d<\/p>\n The league is still years away from creating a rule like that. But has it kicked around that question? Oh, yeah. And it isn\u2019t just about the demise of the double and triple. It\u2019s about the toll outfield defense and positioning are taking on offense, period.<\/p>\n I used Statcast to look at what happens these days on hard-hit line drives to deep center field. I chose center field because that\u2019s where we find the biggest change in how deep outfielders play. Ready? These are the numbers on barreled line drives, with exit velocities of 95 mph or harder.<\/p>\n Batting average \u2014 In 2016, the league hit .541 on balls hit like that. In 2025, that average had dropped \u2026 by 138 points \u2014 to .403.<\/p>\n Slugging \u2014 But here\u2019s where that outfield positioning really shows up. In 2016, league-wide slugging percentage on those balls was 1.091. By this year, that slugging rate had tumbled \u2026 by 300 points \u2014 to .791.<\/p>\n So those great baseball plays Epstein described may not feel like they were all part of baseball\u2019s ancient history. But here\u2019s a great example of why they\u2019re becoming increasingly rare.<\/p>\n The center fielder who caught that shot, the A’s Lawrence Butler, wasn\u2019t quite playing with his back up against the Green Monster. But he was playing two steps in front of the warning track. So no wonder the hitter who hit that ball, Alex Bregman, didn\u2019t hesitate when I asked him if he\u2019d be in favor of a limit on where outfielders can stand.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a hitter,\u201d he said, instantaneously, \u201cI would love that.\u201d<\/p>\n THE ATHLETIC: \u201cYou’d even be OK with painting little circles in the outfield?<\/p>\n BREGMAN: \u201cThat would be great \u2014 because WE\u2019RE hitting.\u201d<\/p>\n But is that where we\u2019re headed \u2014 for little circles on the outfield grass? Probably not. So, let\u2019s consider \u2026<\/p>\n What are the options?<\/p>\n I texted an American League front-office executive recently to tell him I was working on this story, then said (innocently): I\u2019d love to hear your thoughts on this.<\/p>\n His (not serious) reply: \u201cI think we should tell the outfielders they can only jog after the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n OK, that turned out not to be what he actually thought. <\/p>\n \u201cI don’t really think I want to watch a bunch of outfielders standing among a bunch of grid lines in the outfield that looks like a USA Today pie chart,\u201d he said, in a later phone conversation. \u201cBut if we find a way to do it without the aesthetics of a bunch of lines written in the outfield, I don’t know that I have a huge problem with it.\u201d<\/p>\n So is it possible to limit where outfielders can stand without painting a dozen chalk lines and circles all over the outfield grass? Am I authorized to speak for the entire planet when I say: Geez, I hope so?<\/p>\n Remember, the league \u2014 and baseball\u2019s competition committee \u2014 haven\u2019t concluded that they need a rule like this. But if it gets to that point, the beloved, time-honored look of a big-league baseball field would, and should, be part of that conversation.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the infield, we have natural boundaries,\u201d the same exec said. \u201cThe grass versus the dirt, and the second-base bag. So if we could find a way to do it similarly in the outfield, it’s fine. It doesn’t really bother me.\u201d<\/p>\n A National League exec had a similar reaction.<\/p>\n \u201cI would be open to it,\u201d he said. \u201cThe reason I was in favor of (shift limits) in the infield is, I thought it was allowing teams \u2026 to play these non-athletic players in the middle of the field at what should be the most athletic positions. I think it starts to take away from the entertainment value for our fans.\u201d<\/p>\n So if entertainment value is goal No. 1, what are the options? The argument for some sort of circles is that they would place more specific limits on where outfielders could play \u2014 how deep, how shallow, how close to the lines and\/or the gaps. But if we\u2019re not going to dump white chalk all over the field, how would that work?<\/p>\n Could we somehow draw ever-shifting circles with lasers that would create cool colored orbs in the grass? Technologically possible, but way too complicated.<\/p>\n So what about the idea laid out by Epstein in 2022? What about that line cut into the grass that we referred to earlier as the \u201cThis Is How We\u2019re Saving the Doubles and Triples Line\u201d?<\/p>\n \u201cImagine there was a curved line in the outfield,\u201d Epstein said, \u201cand the outfielders just couldn’t start deeper than that line. So more balls are going to be going over their heads. They’re going to have to go back on balls more often. It creates more suspense when balls go in the air. It creates more uncertainty on outcomes, more action, more premium on athleticism in the outfielders.\u201d<\/p>\n Oh, and one more thing. For every 10 feet shallower that outfielders would have to play, Epstein said, the data indicates there would be a 0.2-percentage-point uptick in the rate of doubles and triples \u2014 which at least would get the sport closer to its level from more action-packed times.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it’s just an interesting concept,\u201d Epstein concluded, \u201cto think about whether it’s worth considering that type of rule, that forces outfielders to start 5 or 10 or 15 feet shallower than the major-league average now \u2014 and create a lot more action on balls that go in the air.\u201d<\/p>\n MLB was curious enough that it experimented with that line in 2022, in extended spring training in Arizona. But that was simply to get a feel for how it looked. So what has happened on that front since? Not a thing.<\/p>\n Despite all the back-channel conversation about extending that experiment to a tryout in a minor league or independent league, that hasn\u2019t happened. And it appears that, aside from the automated ball-strike challenge system (ABS)<\/a> that arrives next year, the league is putting virtually all its potential rule-change plans on the back burner until it gets through the looming labor talks next winter<\/a>.<\/p>\n But at some point, there will be life after collective bargaining negotiations. So could a save-the-gapper rule then become the rule-change flavor that sweeps across our continent? Surprisingly, not even all the hitters I surveyed are sure they want this.<\/p>\n THE PADRES\u2019 JAKE CRONENWORTH: \u201cI think we’ve already changed so much that we probably shouldn’t change anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n THE CARDINALS\u2019 BRENDAN DONOVAN: \u201cObviously, extra-base hits are extremely important. But I don’t want to tamper with the game. Teams have to do a good job of game-planning, to make sure that we’re not getting on base. So I think it’s up to us as hitters to try to find a way to make adjustments.\u201d<\/p>\n THE GUARDIANS\u2019 STEVEN KWAN: \u201cI mean, I understand where people are coming from. But I think, as a hitter, you should be rewarded for being a well-rounded hitter. \u2026 And as an outfielder, you could definitely show off your athleticism more (if outfielders couldn\u2019t play as deep). But I think I like the positioning, where we’re at right now.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Freddie Freeman, owner of 547 career doubles, believes players would adjust to a rule change that dictated outfield positioning. (Michael Reaves \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n So why is baseball still spinning its wheels on this front? Because even the players it would help most \u2014 the hitters \u2014 aren\u2019t certain what the answer is. But then there\u2019s Freddie Freeman, who always seems to see the big picture.<\/p>\n \u201cI’m a hitter, so I’m gonna say, yeah, I want more hits,\u201d he said with a laugh.<\/p>\n But then he took a step back to reflect on all the rule changes he and his fellow players have learned to live with through the years. Were they beloved among players on Day 1? Of course not. Freeman pointed to the pitch clock and shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cSo much pushback,\u201d he said. \u201cBut now, I think we can all attest that two-hour-and-25-minute games are better, not only for us being on our feet so much, but the fans stay the whole game now.<\/p>\n \u201cSo rules are hard to get used to when they come in and you’re so used to something else for so long. But as an industry, we adjust to it. That’s what players do.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s also what leagues do \u2014 in every sport \u2014 when they see an opening to make their sport more entertaining. And if this league is thinking clearly, how can it not see that this is one of those openings?<\/p>\n One of the coolest parts of modern baseball is the warp-speed innovations and deep thinking inside the game. But as I\u2019ve written here before, there\u2019s a fundamental principle that the powers that be should always keep in mind:<\/p>\n What makes for great baseball strategy doesn\u2019t always make for great entertainment strategy!<\/p>\n And this is one more example. So is it time to revive the double, rescue the triple and save the good old-fashioned gapper? The numbers tell us it’s an idea worth pondering.<\/p>\n \u201cSo maybe down the line, that (experiment) could be something that you take to the Atlantic League or you even take to the lower levels of the minor leagues,\u201d Epstein said in 2022, \u201cbecause for all the talk about infield defense restrictions, I think you actually would get a greater impact on batting average on balls in play, and increase action in the game more, if you could find just the right tweak to outfield positioning \u2014 and really bring back a lot of action and drama on balls and plays in the outfield.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 The Athletic\u2019s Eno Sarris contributed to this report. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Here at Imaginary Rule Change Theater, we\u2019re going to transport you to a big-league ballpark in 2030, where…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":325845,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[558],"tags":[64,63,5156,5261,1187,591,85],"class_list":["post-325844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-boston-red-sox","tag-kansas-city-royals","tag-los-angeles-dodgers","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=325844"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325844\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/325845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=325844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=325844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=325844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2227617355-scaled.jpg\")
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