Ruhle continued to start less regularly before primarily shifting to relief work in –. He signed with the Cleveland Indians as a free agent, after the 1984 season, and made 16 starts and 26 relief appearances for the club in . He joined the California Angels in June and closed his career that year working mainly out of the bullpen. His last appearance was in Game 4 of the 1986 American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox, entering with the Angels trailing 1–0 with two out in the seventh inning; he surrendered two more runs in the eighth inning, but the Angels won in 11 innings after tying the game with three runs in the ninth.