WATCH: ‘Tarp monster’ swallows Pittsburgh Pirates groundskeeper in gusty storm

Warning: a baseball field tarp can have quite the appetite, as the groundskeeper of the Pittsburgh Pirates learned the hard way Tuesday night.

As a gusty thundershower swept into PNC Park in Pittsburgh, where the Pirates were hosting the Padres, the grounds crew scrambled to cover the diamond.

But after they unrolled the giant tarp and tried to stake it to the ground, the winds – gusting up to 42 mph – proved too strong and the tarp broke free, sections of it flying into the air.

42 mph gust from the @CBSPittsburgh @WeatherBug station at PNC Park caused the tarp to take off! @4cast4you @Verz pic.twitter.com/mK5016fIGI

— Michael Alberghini (@MAlberghini77) July 8, 2015

As one of the grounds crew ran across the tarp to get in better position to secure it, the ‘tarp monster’, as described by MLB.com, ate him. It’s quite the dramatic footage:

Members of the crew rushed out to rescue their down-for-the-count colleague. And joining them? Two Pittsburgh Pirates players: Andrew McCutchen and Sean Rodriguez

“They rescued the groundskeeper from being devoured and rallied the entire team to help subdue the tarp, and even edged out the Padres, 3-2, once the rain delay was over,” explains MLB.com, where you can watch the full video.