The definition of that says it’s not repeatable and holds no predictive value. So anyone who believes in “clutch” should probably ignore that stat.
Also it’s calculated using the Leverage Index, which does increase as innings go on, depending on score. Basically a 1 run lead in the 7th inning is higher leverage than a 1 run lead in the 2nd.
Now with Richards as a starting pitcher, he has to pitch deeper into games t get to some of those truly high leverage situations. And when he does get there, he has a full workload already behind him.
If he closed, this wouldn’t be the case.
So this stat is not really applicable here IMO…