This isn't "getting weirder", this has been the case for close to a decade if not more. HN has long removed the numbers. The good news is that the submitter has

This isn't "getting weirder", this has been the case for close to a decade if not more. HN has long removed the numbers. The good news is that the submitter has time (though in this case I think it's expired) to edit headlines for submissions, I think it's the same time window as comment editing, 1.5-2 hours. When you submit a headline and it's altered by HN in a meaningful way, you can change it back to the original.