It turns out 5 a.m. was not early enough for some Red Sox fans in Lowell.

Nearly 400 fans packed a local pub for a viewing party hosted by the Spinners for Boston’s Opening Day tilt against the Athletics in Japan. Doors were scheduled to open at 5 a.m., but the owners of Hookslide Kelly’s brought several Red Sox-clad guests in out of the cold at 4.

The lure of a free Jonathan Papelbon bobblehead, and a free breakfast sandwich, to the first 100 fans was too much for some fans who braved sub-freezing temperatures. The giveaways were gone by 5:30.

"It blew away our expectations," media relations manager Jon Boswell said. "It’s a testament to the passion of Red Sox Nation."

Sox fans came ready to cheer, Boswell said, but the bar erupted in groans with news of J.D. Drew’s back injury, and grew uneasy during Daisuke Matsuzaka’s slow start. But chants and cheers filled the room as the Red Sox rallied to win.

"It had a playoff atmosphere atmosphere," Boswell said.

The Spinners also raised over $2,000 for the Joann Weber Charitable Fund, named after Lowell owner Drew Weber’s wife who passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer last year. The big prize: a pair of Opening Day tickets to see the Red Sox get their World Series rings.

“With so many former Spinners receiving World Series rings, we feel it is only fitting to send a pair of dedicated fans to the game to see it,” Spinners vice president and general manager Tim Bawmann said in a release.